DataBreaches.Net

Menu
  • About
  • Breach Notification Laws
  • Privacy Policy
  • Transparency Report
Menu

Malware warning: Ransomware up, phishing down – and here’s how crooks are changing their tricks

Posted on March 26, 2019 by Dissent

Steve Ranger reports:

The volumes of malware in general and ransomware in particular have increased again for the third year running, and as well as pumping out more attacks, cyber crooks are also altering their techniques.

Global malware volume is up for the third straight year, with security company SonicWall recording 10.52 billion malware attacks in 2018 via a network of one million sensors the company has deployed in its customers networks.

[…]

The company said that hackers are shifting their approach, switching from scripts and executables to hiding malware in PDFs and Office files: SonicWall found new malware variants hidden in 47,073 PDFs and 50,817 Office files in 2018. It also said it found that 19.2 percent of all malware attacks came across non-standard ports in 2018, an 8.7 percent year-over-year increase., which are thus harder to identify and block. While the levels of ransomware hitting the US increased significantly, some countries saw a decline in attacks – the UK and India saw 59 and 49 percent reductions in ransomware volume, respectively.

Read more on ZDNet.

Category: Commentaries and AnalysesMalware

Post navigation

← Information Commissioner orders probe into data protection breach following ‘covert’ op by Belfast trust
St. Louis Community College’s data breach has students concerned →

Now more than ever

"Stand with Ukraine:" above raised hands. The illustration is in blue and yellow, the colors of Ukraine's flag.

Search

Browse by Categories

Recent Posts

  • ShinyHunters and team members arrested in France (1)
  • Texas Enacts Liability Shield From Punitive Damages for Certain Small Businesses That Adopt Cybersecurity Programs
  • Dublin ETB fined €125,000 for data protection breaches
  • From $5,000 to $800,000: Days Apart, OCR Security Settlements Show Puzzling Math
  • Liberty Township in Ohio has recovered its network after a ransomware attack
  • Marquette County Medical Care Facility discloses data breach
  • Industry Letter – June 23, 2025: Impact to Financial Sector of Ongoing Global Conflicts
  • MNGI Digestive Health settles class action lawsuit stemming from BlackCat attack
  • Four REvil ransomware members released after time served on carding charges
  • Why Dumping Sensitive Data on Network Shares is a Liability

No, You Can’t Buy a Post or an Interview

This site does not accept sponsored posts or link-back arrangements. Inquiries about either are ignored.

And despite what some trolls may try to claim: DataBreaches has never accepted even one dime to interview or report on anyone. Nor will DataBreaches ever pay anyone for data or to interview them.

Want to Get Our RSS Feed?

Grab it here:

https://databreaches.net/feed/

RSS Recent Posts on PogoWasRight.org

  • How Internet of Things devices affect your privacy – even when they’re not yours
  • Sky Views Personal Data as a Potential Weapon in IPTV Piracy War
  • Florida Used a Nationwide Surveillance Camera Network 250 Times To Aid in Immigration Arrests
  • Federal Court Strikes Down HIPAA Reproductive Health Care Privacy Rule
  • The Markup caught 4 more states sharing personal health data with Big Tech
  • Privacy in the Big Sky State: Montana’s Consumer Privacy Law Gets Amended
  • UK Passes Data Use and Access Regulation Bill

Have a News Tip?

Email: Tips[at]DataBreaches.net

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

Contact Me

Email: info[at]databreaches.net

Mastodon: Infosec.Exchange/@PogoWasRight

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

DMCA Concern: dmca[at]databreaches.net
© 2009 – 2025 DataBreaches.net and DataBreaches LLC. All rights reserved.