Malware Attacks Experience Drastic Upswing In 2016

Despite efforts by companies and security professionals to protect the nation’s computer systems, incidents of malware attacks are on the upswing, coming at a rate that is close to four times last year.

According to AppRiver’s second quarter Global Security Report, between April 1, 2016 and June 30, 2016 the security firm recorded 4.2 billion malicious emails and 3.35 billion spam emails. Meanwhile, there were 43 million unique web-borne threats daily throughout the second quarter.

“While spam email traffic is leveling off, email traffic has never been more dangerous. What used to be a constant stream of messages touting fake Rolex watches, male enhancement pills and pornography has now become a 24/7 deluge of ransomware, spyware, phishing, and other malware,” AppRiver said in its second quarter security report. “Malware activity continued to expand in the second quarter.”

While malware has been around for quite some time, AppRiver found the levels are consistently doubling every quarter with the company recording an uncharacteristically busy April and a record-breaking May. The malware traffic did come down dramatically in June, off 90 percent-95 percent. The culprit for the reduced malware: the Necurs botnet, which up until June had been driving the “massive distribution of both Locky ransomware and the Dridex trojan.” In June, the Necurs botnet was inactive, greatly reducing the malicious email traffic. The decline in malicious email was short-lived, with AppRiver finding that as of June 21 the Necurs botnet was up to its old tricks and has sustained the never ending barrage of malware attachments since then.

Malware, particularly ransomware which holds a computer’s data hostage and demands payment, is garnering all the attention, but there are other threats consumers have to be prepared for. Take banking Trojans for one example. AppRiver said they are still around and can be much more dangerous because they are designed to acquire personal and banking credentials. Once the bad guys have the keys to the castle, the castle becomes theirs.

“The impact of finding that all of your files have been encrypted as the result of a ransomware attack will depend greatly on the importance of those files and how well they had been backed up. A home computer used exclusively to store pictures of the cat and play solitaire may not be as missed as your work computer containing the budget report for the entire company,” AppRiver said.