Trend Micro’s First Half of 2021 Cyber Threat Review

Trend Micro released its midyear review on cybersecurity threats detected in 2021 thus far. The study, Attacks From All Angles: 2021 Midyear Cybersecurity Report, covers Trend’s observations across ransomware, technical vulnerabilities, the impacts from the pandemic, and more. The report asserts that almost 41 billion threats were identified and blocked in the first six months of this year. Ransomware operations decreased from 14 million in the first half of 2020 to over 7 million during the same period this year. However, despite the decrease in aggregate ransomware campaigns, ransomware attacks are becoming more destructive and sophisticated. While detected vulnerabilities slightly decreased compared to the same period last year, significant vulnerabilities provided (and still provide) threat actors with additional attack vectors such as the ProxyLogon exploit. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic allowed attackers to employ deceptive social engineering tactics to trick victims into releasing malware on their device or network. Cryptocurrency miners were the most detected form of malware, according to the report. Ultimately, as cyber threats continue to proliferate and gain sophistication, a multilayer cyber defense remains the best strategy to thwart these growing threats. Access the report at Trend Micro.