Malaysia sees decline in ransomware detections
DESPITE a notable increase in total threats blocked globally last year, Cybersecurity company Trend Micro Inc said the number of ransomware detections in Malaysia fell by 69 per cent.
This was unveiled in the company’s latest report titled ‘Calibrating Expansion: Annual Cybersecurity Threat Report’ which reveal a 10 per cent annual surge in the total threats blocked and indicated a significant rise in sophisticated cyberattacks targeting fewer victims with the potential for greater financial gains.
The report illuminated threat developments in Southeast Asia last year.
REGIONAL DECLINE
Southeast Asia generally saw a year-on-year decline in detections for other threats studied, including email threats (34 per cent), malicious URLs (7.0 per cent), botnet (28 per cent) and online banking malware (84 per cent).
The company said Malaysia similarly saw a year-on-year decline in detections for multiple threats, with the most significant decline observed in malicious hosted URLs (52 per cent). This was followed by online banking malware (42 per cent), email threats (26 per cent), botnet victims (21 per cent) and URL victims (5.0 per cent).
There was, however, a small increase of 1.0 per cent in malware detections.
Trend Micro Malaysia managing director Goh Chee Hoh said: “While we have seen a decline in many threats in Malaysia, including online banking malware, email threats, malicious URLs and botnet, we cannot rest on our laurels.
“Organisations should exercise greater caution as this decline could pave the way for more sophisticated attacks. As adversaries level up their tactics, techniques and procedures in their attacks, especially in defence evasion, this could indicate that threat actors are choosing their targets more carefully.
“As our report demonstrates,
network defenders must continue to proactively manage risk across the entire attack surface today. Understanding the strategies favoured by our adversaries is the foundation of effective defence.”
Although ransomware detections dropped by 14 per cent globally, there was an increase in other sectors.
Trend Micro said it thwarted 161
billion threats overall last year, marking a stark contrast from the 82 billion threats recorded five years prior. The report sheds light on several key global findings, including a substantial surge in email malware detection by 349 per cent year-on-year, along with a notable uptick in business email compromise detections by 16 per cent year-on-year.
ENHANCING CYBERSECURITY
There was also a concerning 35 per cent increase in threats blocked under Trend Micro’s File Reputation Services.
In light of these findings, Trend Micro advises network defenders to:
• Work with trusted security vendors with a cybersecurity platform approach to ensure resources are not only secured but also continuously monitored for new vulnerabilities.
• Prioritise security operations centre efficiency by monitoring cloud applications carefully as they become more closely integrated into day-to-day operations.
• Ensure all latest patches/ upgrades are applied to operating systems and applications.
• Utilise comprehensive security protocols to safeguard against vulnerabilities, tighten configuration settings, control application access, and enhance account and device security. Look to detect ransomware attacks earlier in the attack lifecycle by shifting left in defences during initial access, lateral movement, or data exfiltration stages.