Ransomware Threat Shifts from US to EMEA and APAC

The volume of ransomware detections in Q3 2022 was the lowest in two years, but certain geographical regions have become bigger targets as attacks on US organizations wane, according to SonicWall.

The security vendor used its own threat detection network, including over one million security sensors in more than 200 countries, to reveal the current landscape.

The good news is that global malware volumes have remained flat for the past three quarters, amounting to a total of over four billion detections in the year to date.  

Of these, ransomware is also trending down after a record-breaking 2021. Even so, SonicWall detected 338 million compromise attempts in the first three quarters of the year. Year-to-date ransomware attempts in 2022 have already exceeded the full-year totals from four of the past five years, the vendor claimed.

While attacks on US organizations dipped by 51% year-on-year during the period, they increased significantly in the UK (20%), EMEA (38%) and APAC (56%).

SonicWall President and CEO Bob VanKirk argued that this is taking its toll on security professionals.

“The cyber-warfare battlefront continues to shift, posing dangerous threats to organizations of all sizes,” he added.

“With expanding attack surfaces, growing numbers of threats and the current geopolitical landscape, it should be no surprise that even the most seasoned IT professional can feel overwhelmed.”

Elsewhere, cryptojacking detections surged 35% year-on-year in the first three quarters of 2022, including a 377% spike in EMEA and a 160% increase in APAC.

IoT malware detections increased 92% globally over the same period, including 82% in APAC and 200% in North America, SonicWall said.