Bangalore: Cybersecurity provider Trend Micro blocked 41 billion cyber threats globally for its customers.
Trend Micro blocked 40.9 billion email threats, malicious files and URLs for its customers globally in the first half of 2021, as per the company’s 2021 mid-year cybersecurity report.
The company witnessed a 47% year-on-year increase in cyberattacks in H1 2021. It detected and blocked in total 1,11,028 email spam, malicious URLs and malware in India.
Globally, ransomware remained the standout threat in H1 2021 as cybercriminals continued to target big-name victims. Working with third parties to gain access to targeted networks, they used Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) tools and techniques to steal and encrypt victims’ data.
In India, the total ransomware threats for H1 2021 stands at 12.98%, the second-highest in Asia after China. In H1 2021, over 7.3 million ransomware threats were detected around the world.
The banking industry was disproportionately affected, experiencing a 1,318% year-on-year increase in ransomware attacks in H1 2021, globally. The total number of online banking malware detected by Trend Micro in India is 4497, in H1 2021.
- Trend Micro’s report also reveals:
- Business email compromise (BEC) attacks increased by 4%, potentially as a result of new COVID-19 opportunities for threat actors.
- Cryptocurrency miners became the most detected malware, having surged ahead of WannaCry and web shells in recent months.
- The Zero Day Initiative detected 770 vulnerabilities, a slight (2%) drop from 1H 2020.
- COVID-19 scams related 164 malicious apps were detected among which 54% were impersonated TikTok.
“The first step towards effectively mitigating cyber risk is understanding the scale, complexity, and specific characteristics of the threat landscape,” said Vijendra Katiyar, Country Manager – India and SAARC, Trend Micro.
“In addition to comprehensive protection against fast-evolving threats like ransomware, phishing and BEC that Trend Micro offers, our biannual roundup reports provide global organisations and stakeholders invaluable insights to help them build a more secure connected world.”
The report’s overall findings highlight the effectiveness of – and increasing need for – a holistic and scalable cybersecurity solution at the enterprise level.