Experts at Kaspersky have identified numerous threats to applications of this type, which are being extensively used during the current crisis. A recent survey by the company has detected close to 1,300 malicious files bearing the names of market leaders such as Zoom, Webex and Slack, all tools that are well known to professionals.

Nearly half (42 percent) of the files targeted Zoom, which has recently sparked controversy for covert data mining and circulating personal data.

Read also: Work from home: Security risks lurk in virtual meetings

These applications, which are particularly sought-after in the current lockdown because they enable users to conduct video conferences with colleagues and also friends and family, are also a vector for the transmission of malware. The two most common threats identified by Kaspersky were the adware families DealPly and DownloadSponsor.

A few weeks ago, Kaspersky already warned against attempted phishing attacks that aimed to exploit concern over the coronavirus by targeting users with emails purporting to be from the World Health Organisation, which are designed to install ransomware and other viruses. 

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