Check Point Software Technologies shares the worrying worldwide numbers of the ransomware phenomenon: attacks affect 1 in 40 organizations per week and the three most targeted sectors are: government / military, education / research and health
Check Point Research (CPR), the Threat Intelligence division of Check Point Software Technologies, a global cybersecurity solutions provider, has shared new data on the cyberattack trend. Ransomware attacks affect 1 in 40 organizations per week, and the three most targeted sectors are government/military, education/research, and healthcare. Rising geopolitical tensions and hybrid working have led to a 59% year-on-year increase in ransomware. In the second quarter of 2022, CPR recorded an all-time high: a 32% increase in global cyberattacks, compared to the second quarter of 2021, reaching a weekly average of 1.2 thousand attacks. Ransomware for Region The areas that record the highest number of cyber attacks are: · Africa: The weekly average of affected organizations is 1 in 21, an increase of 21% year-on-year (1 in 25 organizations in the second quarter of 2021) · Europe: The weekly average is 1 in 66 organisations, down 1% from the previous year (1 in 65 organisations in the second quarter of 2021) · North America: 1 in 108, a slight increase of 1% over the previous year (1 in 109 organizations in the second quarter of 2021) · Australia and New Zealand: 1 in 113, an increase of 18% compared to the previous year (1 in 133 organizations in the second quarter of 2021). Latin America saw the largest increase in attacks, with 1 in 23 organizations affected weekly, and a 43% year-on-year increase (compared to 1 in 33 in the second quarter of 2021). Then followed by the Asian region with a growth of 33% on an annual basis, and 1 in 17 organizations affected weekly. Ransomware by industry The retail sector recorded the highest spike in ransomware attacks, an increase of 182% compared to the same period of the previous year. Immediately after the sector of distributors and system integrators, with a growth of 143%, and the government / military sector, which recorded a staggering increase of 135%, with 1 organization in 24 affected per week.
Cyber attacks by industry The education/research sector has become the most targeted worldwide, averaging more than 2.3 million attacks per organization per week and an increase of 53% compared to the second quarter of 2021. Instead, the healthcare industry saw a 60% increase in cyberattacks compared to the second quarter of 2021, reaching 1342 weekly attacks per organization.
Cyber attacks by Region Africa was the most attacked region in the second quarter of 2022, peaking at 1.76,000 weekly attacks on average per organization (up 3% from the same period a year earlier). Asia and Latin America recorded staggering numbers of 1.68 and 1.60 thousand attacks on average, marking an increase of 25% and 29% respectively compared to the previous year.
Omer Dembinsky, Data Group Manager at Check Point Software said: "Ransomware attacks show no signs of slowing down. Right now, every week, 1 in 40 organizations we monitor is affected by ransomware, an increase of 59% year-on-year. Hackers are still taking advantage of the expansion of the attack surface due to remote working and learning, but the war between Ukraine and Russia also increases this trend, as the increase in geopolitical tensions pushes hackers to take sides. Finally, the willingness of organizations to meet ransom demands to protect patients has shown that the ransomware business is highly profitable. As a result, hackers continue to invest resources to target healthcare organizations. We strongly recommend that you take note of our recommendations for ransomware prevention, such as backing up data, updating systems, and training employees to make them more aware." Ransomware Prevention Tips 1. Back up. Be sure to back up your data, possibly consistently and across the enterprise. 2. Be proactive. It is worthwhile to develop a response strategy; in other words, what would you do if your organization were to be hit by ransomware? 3. Use content scanning and filtering. A common method for hackers is to trick employees into providing their login credentials via a link or downloading a file containing malware. You can protect yourself from these threats by implementing a content scan and filter. 4. Keep your systems up to date. Be sure to keep your systems up to date with the latest patches. 5. Train your employees. Ransomware attacks are often the result of poor training and/or bad employee habits. Make sure they know cybersecurity best practices, such as choosing a good password, avoiding disclosure of your passwords, or beware of links and content that appear suspicious.