Trend Micro Incorporated, a global leader in cybersecurity solutions, released its Midyear Security Roundup for H1 2021: Attacks from All Angles. The report shares insights on the evolved threat landscape from the first half of the year and provides strategic guidance for leaders to protect their organizations in the digital economy.
The report states that globally Trend Micro solutions blocked 40.9 billion email threats, malicious files and malicious URLs for customers in H1 2021, with a 47% year-on-year increase. Ransomware remained the standout threat in the first half of the year as cybercriminals continued to target big-name victims. They used Advanced Persistent Threat tools and techniques to steal and encrypt victims’ data. The banking industry was disproportionately affected, experiencing a 1,318% year-on-year increase in ransomware attacks in the first half of 2021.
In UAE, Trend Micro solutions detected and blocked over 15 million (15,643,376) email threats, prevented over 13 million (13,493,892) malicious URL victim attacks, and over 116K (116,177) URL hosts. In addition, over 2 million (2,556,685) malware attacks were identified and stopped, while over 400 (456) online related banking malware threats were blocked.
The report also shows that home networks in UAE were a major attraction for cybercriminals looking to pivot to corporate systems, devices, and networks. Trend Micro’s Smart Home Network (SHN) solutions blocked nearly 10 million (10,259,880) SHN inbound and outbound attacks combined, preventing over 4 million (4,627,889) such SHN events for hackers to target or control home devices from executing malware, obtaining sensitive information, intercepting communications, or launching external attacks.
“The threat landscape has been evolving with every passing day and enterprises are being faced with new challenges as modern-day threats continue to plague IT systems in the UAE,” said Majd Sinan, Country Manager, UAE for Trend Micro. “The Midyear Roundup provides us with a detailed insight on the threat posture in the country and displays an alarming need for companies to re-assess their security stance. It will help IT decision makers to take appropriate decisions to better protect their organizations from the threats of the future and provide a digitally safe environment for its customers.”
Trend Micro has been collaborating with the public and private sectors to raise awareness and resolve gaps to enable secure digital transformation journeys for organizations in the UAE. The company is on the forefront in introducing new security solutions for businesses, leaving no stone unturned in providing enhanced visibility, threat intelligence, and extended detection and response at every stage of their IT systems.