Malware Attacks Not Slowing Down: 270 Million Attacks in 1Q 2020 Alone

A shade less than 270 million malware attacks were identified during the first quarter of the year, according to research from Atlas VPN. Cybersecurity is taking on much more importance with CDG clients, and research like this explains why.

The most common of the identified attacks were “infectors,” which are viruses that attach themselves to executable software that spreads to other programs and/or networks. This approach was used in 28.78 million attacks.

That was followed by worms (25.31 million), adware (19.4 million), exploits (17.65 million), cryptojacking (4.89 million) and ransomware (850,000). Perhaps most significantly, however, is that the unspecified/other category was dominant, with 173.09 million – 64.11% — of the total.

The number of attacks declined by month. There were 87.14 million in January, 84.33 in February and 67.18 in March. The unknown played a big role in this category as well: Detection months could not be determined for 31.2 million detections.

Atlas VPN used data from Seqriteto and Quick Heel to determine the most effective scans. Detections were found most often by network scans (37% of detections), followed by real-time scans (22%), web security scans (15%), on-demand scans (13%), behavioral detection scan (11%) and email scan and memory scan (1% each).

COVID-19 has greatly impacted the way in which people work. That had an impact on security at least at the end of the quarter – and is set to grow. “It is safe to assume that threat actors became more active in the first quarter of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Atlas VPN COO Rachel Welch said in the report. “Many people started working from home, which created opportunities for hackers to infect unsecured networks. We can expect similar or even higher numbers in the second quarter of 2020.”

In addition to pointing to the changing dynamics of malware in light of the pandemic, an important takeaway from the report is how much is not known, with more than six in ten types of malware classified as “other/unspecified” and with an unspecified month of detection in more than three in ten cases.

Have You Considered Bundling an Internet Security Product with Broadband?

Broadband subscribers are becoming more aware of the security threats coming from the Internet and are showing interest in data privacy, parental controls, and malware protection, among other features. According to recent research from Parks Associates, broadband subscribers would like to see their ISP bundle it with their Internet service. 

Three quarters of U.S. broadband households plan to buy a security service within the next year, according the research. More than one third (38%) said the best option would be to have those services offered free of charge when bundled with a broadband service.

The report goes on to say that consumers are showing greater levels of interest for all types of data privacy and security solutions. However, the percentage of consumers who are interested and those who are planning to adopt are quite different — 63% are interested in a solution preventing identity theft, but only 19% actually use identity theft solutions.

While interest in security and private services is high, “consumers still show a reluctance toward recurring fees – only 27% of data security/privacy intenders would opt for a subscription model,” said Lindsay Gafford, Parks Associates research analyst, in a prepared statement. “The challenges to securing the smart home will intensify as consumers acquire more devices, creating ample business opportunities throughout the value chain for security solution providers. Vendors can differentiate by providing security expertise and flexible solutions that keep pace with changing security requirements.”

Among other findings from the research:

  • 63% of US broadband households use at least one data security service for any purpose.
  • 40% of consumers do not take any action to protect themselves from unauthorized access to their connected devices.
  • Only 15% of consumers strongly believe they receive a lot of benefit in sharing access to their data.

Adding a security product to broadband could add some significant value to an ISP’s service, helping differentiate it from competitors. The key is how to properly price broadband service that includes an Internet security offer, while still maintaining desirable profit margins.

Nefarious Attacks via Email are on the Rise and Are Having a Major Impact on Operations

Almost three in four businesses – 74% — report that email attacks are having a major impact on their operations, according to email attack research from Barracuda, a provider of cloud-based security.

The survey offered other sobering conclusions. It found that 78% of organizations report that the cost of email breaches is increasing. Forty-three percent say that have been the victim of spear phishing attacks during the past year. And 75% of organizations say that their employees “aren’t good at spotting suspicious emails.”

Many CDG clients are either already offering or looking into offering cybersecurity services that can help their business customers avoid these attacks. Or at least be prepared for them. It’s both a necessary offer to help businesses in the community, and potentially a good business opportunity

Other findings in the survey buttressed the main points. Barracuda found that email attacks most often impact employee productivity, cause downtime and business disruption and damage the IT team’s reputation. Almost three quarters of respondents reported higher stress levels and that they worry about email security even when they are not at work. Some report being required to work nights and weekends to address email security issues.

Sixty-six percent of attacks resulted in direct monetary costs during the past year, and almost 25% of respondents say that costs to their organizations were $100,000 or more. Finally, 79% of IT professionals said they fear that attacks may be coming from inside the organization and 92% have security concerns about Office 365. “Based on the success and proliferation of email-based attacks, IT security professionals will need to stay focused on the evolution and escalation of phishing, ransomware, and other threats and improve email security that goes beyond the traditional gateway,” according statements in a press release outlining the research. 

Computer Vision Capabilities Like Face ID Will be in Hundreds of Millions of Devices

Advanced computer vision will be embedded in more than 650 million mobile devices by 2022, according to a computer vision forecast from ABI Research. Examples of computer vision include security (as found in Apple Face ID), social networking (Apple animojis) and content (Google Clips). Continue reading

IBM Data Correlates Cyberattacks with VoIP and SIP

Connected device and network security are never far from front of mind these days given the almost regular occurrence of high-profile cyber-attacks and security breaches. It’s important to keep in mind that VoIP also is vulnerable to cyberattack, as new VoIP attack data from IBM Managed Security Services published by Security Intelligence illustrates. Continue reading