Airtel customer? Here is how to save your smartphone, PC from cybercriminals

Airtel and Kaspersky are going to collaborate and offer Airtel customers an option to buy the Kaspersky Total Security solution directly via Airtel Thanks app.

Bharti Airtel is providing its customers a chance to stop cybercriminals in their tracks.  (Kaspersky/Airtel)

Airtel has teamed up with Kaspersky to offer Bharti Airtel customers security solutions on both PC and smartphones. This collaboration between the two will allow Airtel customers to purchase Kaspersky Total Security solution directly from the Airtel Thanks app. According to reports, Airtel customers will also be able to avail of exclusive deals on the offer.

The official statement on this states that Airtel customers need to download the latest version of the Airtel Thanks app. Then go to the ‘Shop' section and click on ‘Lifestyle offers'. Here you will see the Kaspersky banner, click on this to get started.

This alliance between Airtel and Kaspersky essentially hopes to increase cybersecurity awareness amongst Indian internet users and the offer is being made available to encourage them to practice better cybersecurity. According to Kaspersky, the number of Internet-borne cyberthreats has touched 37,650, 472 just in the first quarter of 2021. Mobile threats in India have drastically increased since 2019 and are becoming more targeted and sophisticated in nature. India ranked 7th amongst the countries attacked with Mobile Threats in 2020, Kaspersky reported.

To explain who important it is to maintain an upgraded security system on your devices, Kaspersky pointed out that the top mobile threats targeted at smartphone users globally were adware-related which topped the list with 57% (3,254,387 detections). Other threats like backdoors have almost tripled from 28,889 in 2019 to 84,495 in 2020. The number of detected Android exploits have also increased seventeen-fold, and the number of Trojan- Proxy threats had increased by twelve times.

“We're very much looking forward to supporting Bharti Airtel, the leading global telecommunications company and one of the biggest mobile service providers, in its goal to protect their users, create a more secure internet, and build a safer digital world together with Kaspersky. I'm convinced that this partnership will further contribute to establishing Airtel as an innovational pioneer and a leader in its industry,” said Eugene Kaspersky, CEO of Kaspersky.

“Airtel is working round the clock to deliver a secure network experience through world-class infrastructure and partnerships. We are delighted to partner with Kaspersky and make their solutions easily accessible for Airtel customers, who can purchase and install these in a matter of minutes and enjoy complete peace of mind,” added Pradipt Kapoor, CIO, Bharti Airtel.

“Our association with Airtel is not only a strategic business partnership for us but is also an important collaboration in order to increase cyber awareness amongst the growing number of smartphone users, who also may be potential targets of cybercriminals... We look forward to our association with them, and hope to instill an increased sense of cyber awareness amongst Indian users as much as possible,” said Dipesh Kaura, General Manager, Kaspersky (South Asia).