2018 Global Threat Intelligence Report indicates ransomware detection up 350% globally

NTT Security has released its 2018 Global Threat Intelligence Report (GTIR), which reveals ransomware detection increased globally by a staggering 350% in 2017.

Detection might have hit an all-time new high but ransomware incident response engagement fell from over 22% of incidents in 2016 to just over 5% in 2017.

Jon Heimerl, Senior Manager of the Threat Intelligence Communication Team, Global Threat Intelligence Center at NTT Security, says: “The GTIR clearly demonstrates the uphill battle organisations face in achieving an optimal balance between operational security and compliance initiatives. In order to be successful they cannot afford to be complacent and must recognize that having a firm grasp on what it takes to remain secure is a fundamental part of everyday business operations.”

The 2018 NTT Security GTIR summarizes data from over 6.1 trillion logs and 150 million attacks, and analyzes global threat trends based on data from NTT Group operating companies: NTT Security, NTT Communications, NTT DATA and Dimension Data. This report analyzes attacks against 18 industry sectors and shares observations on some of the more highly targeted sectors globally and in each of four regions.

According to the report, the gaming sector was the most targeted by ransomware in 2017 at 20%, followed by business and professional services at 17%, healthcare and manufacturing both at 12% and technology at 11%.

“In an ever-evolving threat landscape, defending your organization is no small task, but focusing on key areas outlined in our report, such as incident response plans, multi-factor and strong authentication, comprehensive and reliable patching and usable but effective security measures, can help to build the security posture of an organization.”