Stalkerware attacks have seen a 'staggering' increase in 2020

Stalkerware attacks have seen a 'staggering' increase in 2020

Cybersecurity company Malwarebytes has released its annual State of Malware report, which reveals that cyber attackers have changed tactics and targets in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, there has been a marked increase in stalkerware in 2020. With organizations unexpectedly forced to implement remote work policies, many have not had time to adopt the kinds of security measures found in an office environment. This has not gone unnoticed by cyber attackers. In addition to a series of high-profile incidents, including the Marriot Hotels data breach and the SolarWinds supply chain attack, the use of tracking apps increased 565% between January and December of the year, the latter, while that spyware detections increased by 1055%. final point. Other notable threats that will emerge in the context of the pandemic include the Microsoft Office KMS software hijacker, the Dridex banking malware, and the BitCoinMiner cryptocurrency mining strain. Ransomware has also become more targeted over the past year, bringing greater financial rewards. One particular ransomware group, known as REvil or Sodinokibi, claimed to rake in €100 million in 2020.

Changing threats

Overall, while the number of malware incidents doesn't seem to be increasing, its sophistication is. Dangerous banking Trojans, pre-installed mobile malware, and adware were commonly seen throughout 2020, many of which deliberately targeted people working remotely, far from corporate cyber defenses. “The past year has taught us that cybercriminals are becoming more formidable and plan long-term, strategic and targeted attacks that sometimes take years. 2020 has continued to show us that no company is immune and there is no such thing as 'secure enough,'” said Marcin Kleczynski, CEO of Malwarebytes. “The COVID-19 pandemic has made this situation worse with new challenges in securing a remote workforce, so it is essential that we become more adaptable and learn to better protect workers in any environment. Although our total detections are down this year, we must remain vigilant. The threats we see are more refined and more damaging than ever. There is good news, however. The notorious malware strains known as Emotet and Trickbot are apparently 'mostly' dead, with detections dropping 89% and 69% respectively.