The Malwarebytes Cybercrime Tactics and Techniques report for the first quarter of 2019 has found that cyber attacks on businesses have increased 235% from the same period last year. Their data was gathered from millions of businesses and consumers around the world from January 1 to March 31, 2019.

The good news is that there has been a significant drop in crypto mining and other attacks on consumers, falling by 40% during 2018. However, it is apparent that cybercriminals are now focusing on SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) because they often do not have adequate resources for cybersecurity.

Businesses are considered attractive targets because of their valuable stores of consumer data that can be exploited. Due to the increasing number of breaches, customers are becoming more reluctant to provide personal information.

Ransomware detections for businesses rose almost 200% from Q4 2018 to Q1 2019. When comparing to the previous year, business ransomware rose by more than 500%. Much can be attributed to the overwhelming Troldesh ransomware attacks against American companies during Q1 2019.

Malwarebytes found that Trojans are now the largest malware threat for businesses worldwide. Trojans attacks jumped 650% from the same period last year, and the attacks grew by 200% during Q1 2019.

Of all the Trojans, Malwarebytes considers Emotet to be the most dangerous. It is also currently the most pervasive. Emotet typically steals data from organizations through the EternalBlue exploit and phishing e-mails. This malware is capable of self propagating by transmitting copies of itself by e-mail to addresses stored on victims’ contact lists.

Increasingly effective, cybercriminals are now deploying more sophisticated Trojans, ransomware, and adware against businesses. Thus, businesses must improve their cybersecurity and privacy policies to safely store and transmit consumer data.

Choosing an expert computer technology-support provider is an important decision for your business. Alpha Engineering Associates has been a trusted partner of many companies in the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis areas since 1990 and offer:

• 24/7 Managed Services for Business Computing Systems

• Network and Mobile Computing Support

• Disaster Recovery Planning

• Software Development

For affordable client-focused network consulting services and solutions, please call Alpha Engineering Associates today at (410) 295-9500.