Microsoft blocks around 4.5mn new malware attempts every day
Microsoft blocks around 4.5 million malware threats every day, the company said in a report published today
Washington: Microsoft blocks around 4.5 million malware threats every day, the company said in a report published today.
As per the latest Microsoft Digital Defense Report, the tech giant processes more than 100 trillion signals, blocks approximately 4.5 million new malware attempts, analyzes 38 million identity risk detections, and screens 5 billion emails for malware and phishing every day.
The latest Microsoft Digital Defense Report further said that extortion and ransomware are the key reasons behind more than half of cyberattacks worldwide.
“That’s at least 52% of incidents are fueled by financial gain”, the report authored by Microsoft’s Chief Information Security Officer Igor Tsyganskiy said.
“Nation-state threats remain a serious and persistent threat, but most of the immediate attacks organizations face today come from opportunistic criminals looking to make a profit”, the report said.
Worst Hit Countries
According to the report, the United States (23.7%) remains the worst hit country by cyberattacks followed by United Kingdom (5.9%) and Germany (3.4%).
India (2.3%) is at the 7th spot in the top 10 countries hit by cyber threats with United Arab Emirates (2%) and Australia (1.9%) respectively on the 9th and 10th spots respectively.
“Advances in automation and readily available off-the-shelf tools have enabled cybercriminals—even those with limited technical expertise—to expand their operations significantly”, the report said.
“AI has fueled cyber threats”
The report also said that the AI tools have fueled further the cyber threat making it a universal and global phenomenon.
“The use of AI has further added to this trend with cybercriminals accelerating malware development and creating more realistic synthetic content, enhancing the efficiency of activities such as phishing and ransomware attacks”, the report said.
“As a result, opportunistic malicious actors now target everyone - big or small, making cybercrime a universal, ever-present threat that spills into our daily lives”, the report added.
“Over the past year, both attackers and defenders harnessed the power of generative AI. Threat actors are using AI to boost their attacks by automating phishing, scaling social engineering, creating synthetic media, finding vulnerabilities faster, and creating malware that can adapt itself”, the Microsoft report said.
“Take Precautions”
Highlighting the rampant cyberattacks and prevalent threats, Microsoft has asked everyone to treat cybersecurity as a core strategic priority.
“In this environment, organizational leaders must treat cybersecurity as a core strategic priority—not just an IT issue—and build resilience into their technology and operations from the ground up”, the company said.
Microsoft in its report also highlighted that legacy security measures are no longer enough, and recommended the use of modern defenses leveraging AI and strong collaboration across industries and governments to keep pace with the threat.
“For individuals, a simple step like using strong security tools - especially phishing-resistant multifactor authentication (MFA), makes a big difference, as MFA can block over 99% of identity-based attacks. Below are some of the key findings”, Microsoft said.
Microsoft also said that geopolitical objectives continue to drive a surge in state-sponsored cyber activity, with a notable expansion in targeting communications, research, and academia, something witnessed during the Israeli Genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.
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