Global ransomware attacks doubled during the second half of 2016. This is according to Israeli-based security solutions vendor Check Point Software Technologies in its H2 2016 Global Threat Intelligence Trends report.
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The report highlights the key tactics cyber criminals are using to attack businesses, and gives an overview of the cyber threat landscape in the top malware categories: ransomware, banking and mobile. It is based on threat intelligence data drawn from Check Point’s ThreatCloud World Cyber Threat Map between July and December 2016.
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The ThreatCloud database identifies millions of malware types daily, and contains more than 250 million addresses analyzed for bot discovery, as well as over 11 million malware signatures and 5.5 million infected Web sites.
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Out of all recognized malware incidents globally, the percentage of ransomware attacks increased from 5.5% to 10.5% between July and December 2016, says Check Point.
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It notes thousands of new ransomware variants were observed in 2016, and in recent months the company witnessed a change in the ransomware landscape, as it became more and more centralized, with a few significant malware families dominating the market and hitting organizations of all sizes.
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The report demonstrates the nature of today’s cyber environment, with ransomware attacks growing rapidly, says Doros Hadjizenonos, Check Point SA’s country manager.
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This is simply because they work, and generate significant revenues for attackers. Organizations are struggling to effectively counteract the threat — many don’t have the right defenses in place and may not have educated their staff on how to recognize the signs of a potential ransomware attack in incoming e-mails. Additionally, Hadjizenonos notes the data demonstrates that a small number of families are responsible for the majority of attacks, while thousands of other malware families are rarely seen.
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