"Malware And Ransomware Attack Volume Down Due to More Targeted Attacks"

Results of threat intelligence collected throughout 2019 through the use of over 1.1 million sensors placed in over 215 countries and territories were published in the 2020 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report. The researchers found that there were 9.9 billion malware attacks during the study, which is a slight 6% year-over-year decrease.   While malware decreased 6% globally, many of the new threats masked their exploits within today’s most trusted files. Office (20.3%) and PDFs (17.4%) represented 38% of the new threats detected by Capture ATP.  While the total number of ransomware attacks (187.9 million) dipped 9% in 2019, highly targeted attacks left many state, provincial and local governments paralyzed and took down email communications, websites, telephone lines, and dispatch services. The researchers discovered a moderate 5% increase in IoT malware, with a total number of 34.3 million attacks in 2019.  Cryptojacking declined 78% in the second half of 2019.  The researchers also found that 3.7 million malware attacks were sent over TLS/SSL traffic, which is a 27% year-over-year increase that is trending up and expected to climb through the year.

Help Net Security reports: "Malware And Ransomware Attack Volume Down Due to More Targeted Attacks"