Security firm Kaspersky’s detection systems discovered an average of 411,000 malicious filesevery day in the year 2023. According to insights shared in the company’s Security Bulletin: Statistics of the Year Report, particular types of threats also escalated. Experts observed a marked surge of 53 percent in attacks involving malicious Microsoft Office and other types of documents.Attackers leaned towards more dangerous tactics, such as utilizing backdoors to infiltrate systems undetected.
Windows was the most targeted OS
In 2023, the company’s systems detected almost 125 million malicious files in total. Windows continued to be the primary target for cyberattacks, accounting for 88 percent of all malware-filled data detected daily. Malicious families disseminated through various scripts and different document formats ranked among the top three threats, accounting for 10 percent of all malicious files detected daily.
There was reportedly a significant daily increase of malicious files in various document formats – for instance, Microsoft Office, PDF, etc. – rising by 53 percent to about 24,000 files. The growth may be linked to a rise in attacks utilizing phishing PDF files, designed to steal data from potential victims.
Most-common techniques used by cybercriminals
The most widespread type of malware continues to be trojans. This year, there has been a notable uptick in the use of backdoors, registering a growth from 15,000 detected files per day in 2022 to 40,000 in 2023. Backdoors stand out as one of the most hazardous types of trojans, providing attackers with remote control over a victims’ system to carry out tasks such as sending, receiving, executing, and deleting files, as well as harvesting confidential data and logging computer activity.
“The cyberthreat landscape continues to evolve, becoming more dangerous year after year. Adversaries continue to develop new malware, techniques and methods to attack organizations and individuals. The number of vulnerabilities reported is also growing annually, and threat actors including ransomware gangs use them without hesitating. Furthermore, the entry barrier into cybercrime is now being lowered due to the proliferation of AI, which attackers use, for example, to create phishing messages with more convincing texts. In these times, it is essential both for large organizations and for every regular user to embrace reliable security solutions. Kaspersky experts are dedicated to tackling these ever-evolving cyberthreats, ensuring a secure online experience for users every day and providing vital threat intelligence about relevant threats,” said Vladimir Kuskov, Head of Anti-Malware Research at Kaspersky.
How to stay protected in the year 2024 from such cyber attacks
* Do not download and install apps from untrusted sources
* Do not click on any links from unknown sources or suspicious online advertisements
* Create strong and unique passwords, including a mix of lower-case and upper-case letters, numbers, and punctuation, as well as activating two-factor authentication
* Always install updates. Some of them may contain critical security issue fixes
* Ignore messages asking to disable security systems for office or cybersecurity software
* Establish the practice of using strong passwords to access corporate services. Use multi-factor authentication for access to remote services.
Windows was the most targeted OS
In 2023, the company’s systems detected almost 125 million malicious files in total. Windows continued to be the primary target for cyberattacks, accounting for 88 percent of all malware-filled data detected daily. Malicious families disseminated through various scripts and different document formats ranked among the top three threats, accounting for 10 percent of all malicious files detected daily.
There was reportedly a significant daily increase of malicious files in various document formats – for instance, Microsoft Office, PDF, etc. – rising by 53 percent to about 24,000 files. The growth may be linked to a rise in attacks utilizing phishing PDF files, designed to steal data from potential victims.
Most-common techniques used by cybercriminals
The most widespread type of malware continues to be trojans. This year, there has been a notable uptick in the use of backdoors, registering a growth from 15,000 detected files per day in 2022 to 40,000 in 2023. Backdoors stand out as one of the most hazardous types of trojans, providing attackers with remote control over a victims’ system to carry out tasks such as sending, receiving, executing, and deleting files, as well as harvesting confidential data and logging computer activity.
“The cyberthreat landscape continues to evolve, becoming more dangerous year after year. Adversaries continue to develop new malware, techniques and methods to attack organizations and individuals. The number of vulnerabilities reported is also growing annually, and threat actors including ransomware gangs use them without hesitating. Furthermore, the entry barrier into cybercrime is now being lowered due to the proliferation of AI, which attackers use, for example, to create phishing messages with more convincing texts. In these times, it is essential both for large organizations and for every regular user to embrace reliable security solutions. Kaspersky experts are dedicated to tackling these ever-evolving cyberthreats, ensuring a secure online experience for users every day and providing vital threat intelligence about relevant threats,” said Vladimir Kuskov, Head of Anti-Malware Research at Kaspersky.
How to stay protected in the year 2024 from such cyber attacks
* Do not download and install apps from untrusted sources
* Do not click on any links from unknown sources or suspicious online advertisements
* Create strong and unique passwords, including a mix of lower-case and upper-case letters, numbers, and punctuation, as well as activating two-factor authentication
* Always install updates. Some of them may contain critical security issue fixes
* Ignore messages asking to disable security systems for office or cybersecurity software
* Establish the practice of using strong passwords to access corporate services. Use multi-factor authentication for access to remote services.