The number of cyber attacks will increase by 19 percent in 2019

The number of cyber attacks will increase by 19 percent in 2019

New York, 6.4.2020

In 2019, the number of cyber attacks has increased by 19 percent compared to the previous year.  This is the result of the latest study by Positive Technologies.

Around 60 percent of cyber attacks were targeted attacks, while 40 percent were mass attacks. Positive Technologies attributed the large number of targeted attacks to the increased activity of 27 state-sponsored APT groups. The top sectors for cyberattacks were government, industry, health care, science and education, and finance. Ransomware was responsible for 31 percent of all malware infections among organizations last year.

Summary

The number of one-off attacks increased from quarter to quarter and at the end of the year was 19 percent higher than the total for 2018.

The main target sectors were government, industry, healthcare, science and education and finance. These industries received the most (54%) of all attacks on organizations.

Industrial companies accounted for 10 percent of the attack targets, compared to 4 percent in 2018, and the attacks on them were typically malware (in 90 percent of cases).

Targeted attacks outweighed mass attacks. Targeted attacks accounted for 60% of the attacks, up 5 percentage points from 2018, one of the reasons being an increase in APT attacks. During the year, we noticed a high activity of 27 APT groups.

Information continues to be very valuable in the cybercriminal community. 60 percent of campaigns against organizations and 57 percent of campaigns against individuals were aimed at obtaining information. The attackers were particularly interested in personal data, access data and payment card numbers.

The total number of malware infections in 2019 was 38 percent higher than in 2018, and the malware campaigns were so successful because both the malware itself and the methods for spreading it have evolved.

Ransom is one of the biggest threats to businesses worldwide. It was responsible for 31 percent of all malware infections in companies. The average ransom paid in 2019 was hundreds of thousands of dollars. Ransom operators threaten to release stolen data if the victim does not pay the ransom.

During the year, there were regular attacks with MageCart JavaScript sniffers. These attacks were so widespread because website software developers compromised their supply chain.