2015 is over but it has left us with lots of questions to ponder over, especially in the aspect of malicious software and its consequences. Just by having a look at users’ infection rates, it becomes quite obvious that malware reached new, unbelievable peaks in 2015.
More Thoughts on 2015 Malware Attacks:
Spear Phishing and Malware
SensorsTech’s Top 10 Cyber Threats
When we add numbers to such obviousness and get further from hypothetical speaking and closer to analysis, things suddenly take a turn on nightmare road. One of the latest analyses on the malware state in 2015 has been just released by PandaLabs, the laboratory of Panda Security. According to the research, the numbers for 2015 are much scarier than the boldest of hypotheses – 27% of all malware cases have been registered in 2015.
PandaLabs have detected and neutralized more than 84 million new malware samples throughout 2015, or 9 million more cases on top of what we witnessed in 2014. If we divide the numbers correspondingly, the result is 230 000 new malware samples created on a daily basis.
In terms of malware strains detected by Panda Security during 2015, we get the number 304 million, which stands for 27.63% of the total number of malware families ever discovered and indexed by the security vendor.
All these numbers speak volumes not only about attacks on average users but also about the difficulties faced by multinational companies. Multiple data breaches and intelligence theft cases have occurred in 2015, and predictions for 2016 are not glowing either.
Learn More about Trojan Attacks in 2015
In terms of 2016, Luis Corrons, Technical Director of PandaLabs, believes that malware numbers will continue growing:
We predict that the amount of malware created by cybercriminals will continue to grow. We also can’t forget that the creation of millions of Trojans and other threats corresponds to the cybercriminals’ needs to infect as many users as possible in order to get more money.
Read More about Security Breaches and Incident Response
Panda Labs’ Most Prevalent Threats in 2015
PandaLabs’ collected samples once more prove the effectiveness of potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) and Trojans that were massively used in attacks on large businesses. Trojan horses represent 51.45% of malware intrusions. Next on the list are:
- Computer viruses with 22.79%;
- Computer worms (13.22%);
- PUPs (10.71%);
- Spyware pieces (1.83%).
According to their own data records, the CryptoLocker ransomware has been the main character in a prevalent number of cyberattacks that took place in the past year.
Read More about CryptoLocker
Countries Most Affected by Malware
China has suffered the most, having the highest rate of infections caused by malware. PandaLabs’ numbers are shocking – 57.24% of computer infections have taken place in China, which is 30% more than 2014. Next on the list of countries most affected by malware is Taiwan with 49.15%, and Turkey with 42.52%. The three countries were on the top infection charts in 2014 and 2013.
Other countries that have suffered more than the global average are Colobia with 33.17%, Uruguay with 32.98%, and Spain with 32.15%.
Interestingly enough, lowest infection rates were registered in the Nordic countries:
- Finland – 20.32%;
- Norway – 20.51%;
- Sweden – 20.88%.
Milena Dimitrova
An inspired writer and content manager who has been with SensorsTechForum since the project started. A professional with 10+ years of experience in creating engaging content. Focused on user privacy and malware development, she strongly believes in a world where cybersecurity plays a central role. If common sense makes no sense, she will be there to take notes. Those notes may later turn into articles! Follow Milena @Milenyim
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