Data collected by the threat detection system of Kaspersky, a Russian company of cybersecurity, reveal that hackers and criminal cells create more than 400,000 new malware every day, a number that corresponds to a 5% growth compared to last year, revealing a trend in this segment.
As the numbers show, the ransomware category — malware used to encrypt servers and then demand a ransom — has increased by 181% in just 12 months, indicating that this type of scam is preferred by cybercriminals in addition to traditional phishing scams; this data is from Kaspersky Security Bulletin (KSB).
According to the report, in 2021, around 380,000 new malware were identified daily, an increase of 20,000/day in the short period of just one year. In total, approximately 122 million malicious files were detected in 2022, six million more than in the previous year with equivalent intrusions.
Most of these malicious files were sent to users through downloaders, programs that usually pretend to be an official application, but have an embedded virus in their source code. The focus of malware varies according to the hacker’s interest, and can be used to steal files or spy on the device, for example.
Windows leads as the main target operating system for attacks in 2022, registering an average of almost 320,000 malicious files for the software – which represents 85% of the total. Interestingly, the number of daily malicious files targeted at Microsoft Office grew by 236% between January and October of this year.
In the case of Android, the company’s annual report indicates a small increase of 10% in the amount of malware developed daily for the Google interface.
“Considering the speed at which the threat landscape is expanding its boundaries and the number of new devices emerging in users’ daily lives, it is extremely possible that next year we will detect not 400,000, but half a million malicious files a day!”, comments Fabio Assolini, director of Kaspersky’s Global Research and Analysis Team for Latin America.
- Download and install apps only from trusted sites.
- Do not click on links from unknown sources or suspicious online ads.
- Create strong, unique passwords that include a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and punctuation; also enable two-factor authentication.
- Always install all available updates. Some of them may contain fixes for critical security issues.
- Ignore messages that ask you to disable Office or cybersecurity software security systems.
Have you already had your PC or mobile phone infected by malware? Was it harmed? Tell us, comment!
