The first half of 2021 has seen a significant increase in the frequency and sophistication of cybercrime according to the latest Global Threat Landscape Report from FortiGuard Labs.
This is partly due to the ever growing attack surface that includes remote workers and learners.
The most concerning piece of information from the report is that ransomware threats are becoming more and more frequent. In June 2021, FortiGuard Labs found that ransomware threats had grown tenfold compared to a year ago.
What is rather concerning is that attackers aren’t only interested in demanding money.
“Some ransomware operators shifted their strategy away from email-initiated payloads to focusing on gaining and selling initial access into corporate networks further showing the continued evolution of Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) fueling cybercrime. A key takeaway is that ransomware remains a clear and present danger for all organisations regardless of industry or size,” said the firm.
Other highlights from the report include one in four organisations detecting malvertising and 51 percent of organisations detecting botnet activity on their networks.
But the report is not all doom and gloom. FortiGuard Labs reveals that actions taken against cybercriminals has reduced threat volumes.
“The original developer of TrickBot was arraigned on multiple charges in June. Also, the coordinated takedown of Emotet, one of the most prolific malware operations in recent history, as well as actions to disrupt the Egregor, NetWalker, and Cl0p ransomware operations represent significant momentum by cyber defenders, including global governments and law enforcement to curb cybercrime,” the firm explained.
“In addition, the level of attention that some attacks garnered spooked a few ransomware operators to announce they were ceasing operations. FortiGuard Labs’ data showed a slowdown of threat activity following the Emotet takedown. Activity related to TrickBot and Ryuk variants persisted after the Emotet botnet was taken offline, but it was at a reduced volume. This is a reminder of how hard it is to eradicate cyberthreats or adversary supply chains immediately, but these events are important achievements regardless,” FortiGuard Labs adds.
Governments are also working hard to address the scourge of cybercrime according to the report although more can always be done.
This includes implementing reliable threat detection as well as cybersecurity training.
You can read the full report from FortiGuard Labs here[PDF].
[Image – CC 0 Pixabay]
