In 2022, the malware volume increased again for the first time, with fewer ransomware attacks at the same time – at least globally, because the opposite trend applies in Europe.
Almost a quarter fewer ransomware attacks, but 11 percent more malware attacks – the security threats have changed significantly in the first half of 2022. At least from a global perspective, because at the same time cybercriminals seem to be increasingly focusing on other countries. Contrary to the trend, there were fewer malware attack attempts on the traditionally focused targets in the USA, Great Britain and Germany, as SonicWall notes in its current report. IoT malware is playing an increasingly important role, with an increase of 77 percent being registered.
SonicWall sees the attack on Ukraine as the reason for the simultaneous global decline in ransomware attacks: Russian cybercriminals are said to be restricted in their activities by the war. However, the report also points to a new focus here, with targets in the US experiencing 42 percent fewer ransomware attacks, while those in Europe increased by 63 percent. In addition, the volume of malware distributed via HTTPS increased by 132 percent – and SonicWall states that the rate of previously unknown malware has increased by 45 percent, which corresponds to a good 1,500 new variants per day.
Further selected information on the first half of 2022 is freely available; registration with SonicWall is required for the full report.
