The SonicWall Capture Labs threat research team has published a mid-year update to the 2020 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report, highlighting substantial increases in ransomware attacks. During the first half of 2020, global malware attacks fell from 4.8 billion to 3.2 billion (-24 percent) over 2019’s mid-year total. This drop is the continuation of a downward trend that began last November.
There are regional differences in both the amount of malware and the percentage change year over year, highlighting shifting cybercriminal focus. For example, the United States (-24 percent), United Kingdom (-27 percent), Germany (-60 percent) and India (-64 percent) all experienced reduced malware volume. Less malware doesn’t necessarily mean a safer world; ransomware has seen a corresponding jump over the same time period.
Despite the global decline of malware volume, ransomware continues to be the most concerning threat to corporations and the preferred tool for cyber criminals, with attacks increasing by 20 percent globally in the first half of 2020.
Comparatively, the US and UK are facing different odds. SonicWall Capture Labs threat researchers logged 79.9 million ransomware attacks (+109 percent) in the US and 5.9 million ransomware attacks (-6 percent) in the UK.
