NETWORKS & APPLICATIONS
“ The accelerated shift to remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic coupled with recent highprofile cyberattacks have resulted in bringing cybersecurity top of mind ”
JEREMY JURGENS MANAGING DIRECTOR , THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
major DDos attacks coupled with various viruses and malware entering directly through the network .
According to a report by cybersecurity researchers at Netscout , there were 5.4 million recorded DDoS attacks during the first half of 2021 , a figure that represents an 11 % rise compared with the same period in 2020 . The company puts the rise down to the COVID pandemic , which it says “ provided an enormous opportunity for cyber threat innovation ”.
Malware attacks are also a major problem for business networks . Every day , the AV-TEST Institute says it registers over 450,000 new malicious programs ( malware ) and potentially unwanted applications ( PUA ). In 2020 , 61 % of organisations experienced malware activity that spread from one employee to another , according to Mimecast ’ s State of Email Security 2021 report ( SOES ). In 2021 , that number rose to %, its highest since the SOES survey began in 2016 . Increases in the employee-to-employee spreading of malware could , again , be put down to the COVID pandemic and more employees working from home and encountering more distractions there . Phishing attacks are also becoming more sophisticated could also have affected the increase .
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