AppRiver, LLC, has released its year-end Global Security Report, a detailed summary and analysis of the malware and spam trends of 2015.
In total, AppRiver quarantined 944 million messages containing malware from January to November 2015, and an additional 705 million in December alone, doubling the number of malware messages from 2014. The security vendor also quarantined 26 billion spam messages in its filters.
“The Protecting Cyber Networks and National Cybersecurity Protection Advancement Acts will incentivise companies to share cyber threat information with U.S. government agencies,” says co-author and manager of security research, Troy Gill. “The goal is to prevent future attacks by sharing threat intelligence through joint efforts of government agencies and companies.”
While the cybersecurity bills have been passed, there were plenty of troubling attacks that kept security professionals busy:
- Attacks: Macros, ransomware, wire transfer fraud, JavaScript obfuscation constituted some of the most prevalent attacks on consumers and businesses in 2015. These attacks often came directly to individuals’ inboxes through spear phishing and spoofing attempts. The report also devotes special video segments focused on macros malware attacks, wire transfer fraud, and ransomware.
Troy Gill, co-author and manager of security research, AppRiver - Data Breaches: Anthem, Premera, LastPass, Ashley Madison, Experian, and the Office of Personnel Management were some of the biggest breaches of 2015. The OPM data breach resulted in more than 18 million current and former federal employees’ records being breached, while the insurance company breaches resulted in more than 90 million patients’ health records being compromised.
Report co-author, Jon French, added: “This year featured personal attacks on consumers, as cybercriminals favored personal data, such as health insurance records, online dating profiles, and HR files over financial information, such as credit card accounts and routing numbers. Cybercriminals are likely using this information to form detailed consumer profiles on the Dark Web for future attacks, like spear phishing and blackmail.”
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