Companies are faced with an unstable landscape of threats, which puts cybersecurity professionals on alert. The latest data reveal that the global volume of malware exceeds 4,000 million, constantly growing three quarters.
To deepen this reality, Sonicwall has presented “Threat Mindset Survey 2022”, a survey where 91% of organizations reported that it is easier than ever to perform ransomware attacks.
With Ransomware-A-A-Service (RAAS) offers, even less technical cybercriminals can buy ransomware kits on the Dark Web and aim at minimal experiences.
“The battle front of the cyber war continues to change, which represents dangerous threats for organizations of all sizes. With the geometric growth surface, the growing number of threats and the current geopolitical panorama should not surprise that even the most experienced IT professional can feel overwhelmed,” says Bob Vankirk, president and CEO of Sonicwall.
Tactics intensify and diversify
Ransomware attacks in general have had a downward trend in the first three quarters of 2022, especially in the United States, where 51%have decreased.
However, the locations of the attacks have continued to change, since ransomware attempts increased in the United Kingdom (20%), EMEA (38%) and Pacific Asia (56%) compared to the same period last year.
The update of the Sonicwall cyberamez report reveals an unstable threat panorama, which puts cybersecurity professionals on alert
Sonicwall’s patented threat intelligence also discovered that during the third quarter of 2022 the lowest quarterly ransomware volume has been recorded since the third quarter of 2020. Even in Declive, Sonicwall recorded 338.4 million ransomware attempts since the beginning of the year.
IoT malware
Computer pirates increasingly point to financial companies, such as banks or commercial societies, with cyber attacks designed to maliciously use computer systems to extract cryptocurrencies illegally. The volume of Cryptojacking increased 35% worldwide for three quarters, including a 377% increase in EMEA and an increase of 160% in Asia Pacific.
With the increase of smart devices entering the digital space every day, there is a growing need for internet security (IoT). IoT devices have multiple ways to connect to a network, offering multiple attack vectors to exploit. IoT malware increased 92% worldwide, with jumps of 82% and 200% in APJ and North America, respectively.
Malware variants “never seen before”
Real-Time Deep Memory Inspectionm (RTDMI) patented Sonicwall (RTDMI) identified 373,756 malware variants never seen during the first three quarters of 2022, which means a 22% increase to date.
One of these malware variants never seen was Spyder Loader, which has been observed pointing to government organizations in Hong Kong this October 2022.
Sonicwall RTDMI has proactively detected this variety of malware and Sonicwall Capture Labs threat researchers were the first to publish their analysis Sonicalert 2021, in the month of March: a sample of the abilities promoted by automatic RTDMI learning.
