Internet Security

Interpreting the data of application usage by the participants of Kaspersky Security Network

Information about the application usage by the participants of Kaspersky Security Network will allow you to make a weighed decision on which status should be assigned to a potentially dangerous application that you run on your computer. You can assess an application’s status based on data from KSN if you know how the application appeared on your computer.

Kaspersky Lab specialists distinguish the following sources of new applications:

• the user downloads a setup file from the Internet and then opens it;
• a setup file is automatically downloaded and opened when the user clicks a link on a web page;
• the user opens a setup file stored on a CD / DVD or copied to the hard disk from it;
• the user opens a setup file stored on a USB drive or copied to the hard disk from it;
• the user opens a setup file received in a message via email, IM client, or social network.

Statistics of application usage by the participants of Kaspersky Security Network includes frequency and remoteness of usage of an application. Below are the main options of application usage:

• very rarely (less than 100 participants of KSN use this application) and recently (the file has appeared a few days ago);
• rarely (less than 1,000 participants of KSN) and relatively long ago (a few months ago), most users restrict the activity of this application;
• frequently (more than 100,000 participants of KSN) and long ago (more than six months ago), most users trust this application;
• frequently (more than 100,000 participants of KSN) and recently (a few weeks ago), most users trust or restrict this application;
• very frequently (more than 100,000 participants of KSN) and recently, most users trust this application.