Threat Report Findings: Malware Encounters Drop, but Become More Targeted

It’s easy to become so focused on day-to-day challenges that you may not see the bigger picture—and, when it comes to endpoint security, that can be a costly oversight.

Of course, the current threat landscape is so dynamic that staying abreast of the latest malware trends can be difficult. Fortunately, Webroot is uniquely positioned to provide you with that information. Webroot solutions and services continually correlate intelligence from millions of real-world endpoints and internet sensors to identify key threat topics and trends.

The facts and figures that follow are excerpted from our September 2016 Webroot Quarterly Threat Update report that leveraged data collected by Webroot SecureAnywhere endpoint solutions and Webroot BrightCloud threat intelligence services. This data enabled Webroot to examine trends in malware ranging from 2014 through the first half of 2016, as well as their causes. As you’ll see, there are welcome surprises–such as a reduction in total malware incidents–mixed with some worrisome ones–like enormous growth in malicious mobile apps.

As an MSP, your ability to effectively safeguard your clients depends on staying one step ahead of the bad guys. Armed with the right information, you’ll be better equipped to choose an optimal endpoint protection solution that can deliver comprehensive security both today and in the future.

Key Webroot Findings

Drop in overall malware encounters

Users are over 20 percent less likely to encounter malware and other undesirable executable files than they were in 2015. However, attacks from malware are more sophisticated, targeted, and short-lived.

Google and Wells Fargo are heavily targeted

When it comes to new phishing attacks, Google and Wells Fargo are the most targeted technology and financial companies, respectively. Wells Fargo was targeted over 10 times as often in June as it was in January.

The number of new malicious Android apps is expected to quintuple in 2016, compared to 2015.

The United States now hosts over 40 percent of malicious URLs, while Germany’s share of malicious URLs is increasing rapidly and China’s share plummets.

Nearly half of all malicious IP addresses are associated with China, India, or Vietnam.

Conclusions

Although the number of phishing attacks and overall malware encounters are decreasing, these statistics can be deceptive. Many attacks appear, deliver payloads and then disappear within hours or even minutes–having stolen user credentials, corporate documents and other sensitive information, or taken any number of other malicious actions.

As polymorphism continues to grow in prevalence and attack timelines speed up, it is more important than ever for today’s MSPs to adopt next-generation security approaches that can adapt to and predict malware behaviors as they evolve.

Get the Full Report

Download the complete September 2016 Webroot Quarterly Threat Update report to see a more detailed picture of the threat trends from 2016.