Sonicwall offers a midyear update to their 2020 Cyber Threat Report research – Criminal activity in the US leveraging ransomware spiked nearly 110% during the first half of 2020, and is attributed to remote workforce vulnerabilities.
While the US saw attacks jump 109%, the global jump was just 20%. Why the jump in the US? Because criminals find it effective and anonymous.
Malware dropped 24%, showing crime’s interest in monetization.
Additionally, there is a 50% rise in IoT malware attacks.
Why do we care?
There are two takeaways here – the criminals continue to learn, and they are seeking better return on their investment.
This is fodder for anytime a customer tells you they aren’t the target – yes they are, because they have money to pay a ransom. These are not random, they are targeted to a profile.
I’m noting the IoT increase as well – I would postulate that the rise in IoT attacks is simply learning. It starts with malware – it moves to more.
Your actions – this is information to use for education, and look to shift your language. If you missed it, Sunday’s editorial speaks to language to think about, and leverage to a risk mitigation model.
Source: Channel Futures