Cyber attacks are getting worse! The number of ransomware attacks in the first half of 2021 exceeds that of last year, with the United States, Britain and Germany being the most affected

A new report from SonicWall shows that the number of ransomware attack attempts in the first half of 2021 has surged to 304.7 million, surpassing the total number of 304.6 million attacks in 2020, a year-on-year increase of 151%. Among them, the number of attack attempts in April, May, and June of this year set a record, and the number of ransomware attack attempts in June reached 78.4 million.

The report stated: " Even if no ransomware attack attempt is recorded in the second half of the year, 2021 will be the most rampant year for ransomware attacks in SonicWall's record. "

The SonicWall Cyber Threat Report 2021 is based on information collected by SonicWall Capture Threat Network. The network monitors and collects information from devices around the world, including more than 1.1 million security sensors in 215 countries and regions, and collects malware and IP reputation data from tens of thousands of firewalls and email security devices around the world. More than 50 industry cooperative groups and research organizations share threat intelligence gathering information.

The report shows that in the first half of 2021, there were 304.7 million ransomware attacks, 2.5 billion malware attacks, 51.1 million password hijacking attacks, and 32.2 million IoT malware attacks. See the figure below for specific data:

Ransomware attacks surge, the United States, Britain and Germany are the most affected

The number of ransomware attacks in the first half of 2021 exceeded that of 2020, with the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, South Africa and Brazil being the most affected by ransomware.

The report pointed out that the ransomware problem continues to worsen. The data shows that the situation in Q2 in 2021 is far worse than in Q1. Q2 was the worst quarter since SonicWall recorded, with 188.9 million ransomware attacks, far exceeding Q1's 115.8 million attacks.

At the same time, ransomware attacks are spreading worldwide. The number of attacks in Europe increased by 234%, North America increased by 180%, and Asia also reached a high in March.

However, on a global scale, the United States is the most affected, and its number of attacks is almost equal to the total number of the other nine countries among the top 10 most attacked countries.

The report shows that the most frequently attacked industry in 2021 is the government, and the number of attacks is three times that of last year. The government faces more attacks every month than almost all other industries. By June of this year, the number of government attacks has increased by 10 times, and the overall peak has reached 917%.

Customers in the education field have also experienced a large number of ransomware attacks, and the amount has increased by 615%. SonicWall Capture Labs threat researchers found that there were also alarming spikes in ransomware attacks in healthcare (594%) and retail (264%) organizations.

According to data from SonicWall Capture Labs, Ryuk, Cerber, and SamSam accounted for 64% of all attempts at ransomware attacks. Among them, Ryuk alone had 93.9 million attack attempts, three times the number of Ryuk attempts in the first six months of 2020.

According to SonicWall data, Cerber became the second most-watched ransomware at the end of 2020, and continued to maintain this trend in the first six months of 2021, attempting 52.5 million attacks, and adding in April and May this year. Increased the intensity of the attack.

SamSam's attack attempts in the first half of 2021 reached 49.7 million, which is double the number in 2020. In June alone, the organization launched 15.7 million attacks.

SonicWall CEO Bill Conner said that the latest data shows that sophisticated threat actors are adjusting their strategies to embrace ransomware in order to obtain financial benefits. "Because remote work is more common, enterprises continue to face high risks, and criminals are keenly aware of the uncertainty of the entire network environment."

Malware attack

The report also tracked malware and found a decline in malware attacks compared to 2020. This downward trend has continued since reaching a peak of 10.5 billion instances in 2018.

In 2020, malware attacks will reach their lowest point in six years, with 5.6 billion malware attempts, and 2.5 billion malware attacks in the first six months of 2021.

However, the report states that “decrease in malware does not equate to decrease in cybercrime. On the contrary, this sign indicates that traditional spray-and-pray malware attacks are being abandoned... More specialized, more complex, and more targeted attacks are often It allows criminals to make more money and bring more damage."

The number of malware in North America and Europe has declined, but Asian countries have increased by 23%.

In the first half of this year, malware in India and Germany surged. The number of malware attempts in India reached 147.2 million, a year-on-year increase of 83%, and the number of malware attempts in Germany was 150.4 million, an increase of an astonishing 465%.

SonicWall researchers pointed out that in addition to the top 10 countries most affected by the attack, there are many countries still suffering from malware.

SonicWal also discovered 185,945 "unseen" malware variants through Real-Time Deep Memory InspectionTM, a 54% increase from the first half of 2020.

This report also contains some good news. The number of malicious PDF files and Office files has declined for the first time since 2018.

In 2021, there has been a surge in malware attacks targeting the Internet of Things, with more than 32 million attacks. The number of attacks on the Internet of Things in the United States has increased by 15%.

Password hijacking

In the first half of 2021, attempts at cryptojacking attacks have also achieved an amazing growth. Of the 51.1 million password hijacking attempts in 2021, the number of attacks in Asia increased by 118%, and the number of attacks in Europe increased by 248%.

Dmitriy Ayrapetov, Vice President of SonicWall Platform Architecture, said: "The continued rise of monetized ransomware, password hijacking, and other unique forms of malware, as well as the evolution of its strategies, indicate that cybercriminals are always following money and adapting quickly. New opportunities and changing environment."

Report address: https://www.sonicwall.com/2021-cyber-threat-report/

Original link: https://www.zdnet.com/article/ransomware-attack-volume-sets-record-reaches-more-than-300-million-for-first-half-of-2021-sonicwall/#ftag =RSSbaffb68