Cyber attacks do not give Italy peace. This is what emerges from Trend Micro’s “Navigating New Frontiers” report, according to which our country in 2021 was the fourth most affected by malware in the world, the first in Europe. An even worse result than in 2020, when Italy already occupied the seventh position in the world ranking of the nations most affected by malware.
Globally, cyber attacks in 2021 were mainly aimed at infrastructures and systems for remote work, and caused damage above all to incorrectly configured cloud systems. Unfortunately, ransomware-as-a-service offers have opened the market to bad guys with limited technical knowledge, and have also given rise to greater specializations, such as expert access brokers, who have become a fundamental piece of the criminal underground. The 2021 of cyber attacks was also a record year in terms of new vulnerabilities: despite this, the report highlights that a quarter of the vulnerabilities sold in the cybercriminal market last year were more than three years old.
Cyber attacks in Italy in 2021
Here are some numbers that emerge from the report on cyber attacks in Italy in 2021:
- Malware – The total number of malware intercepted in Italy last year was 62,371,693. An exorbitant number, especially considering the fact that in 2020 there were 22,640,386. In front of Italy for the number of malware there are only the United States, Japan and India.
- Macro Malware – Italy is the most affected country in Europe and seventh in the world, with a total of 6,861 Macro Malware attacks received.
- Ransomware – In this case, Italy is the fourth most affected country in Europe. In front of our country, there are Germany, France and the UK. Worldwide, Italy is in twelfth place.
- the e-mail threats that hit Italy in 2021 were 336,431,403. An impressive number, which testifies to an underlying ingenuity in this area that is still widespread.
- the visits to malicious sites last year there were 18,683,844. Malicious sites instead, 269,383 were blocked in Italy.
- Malicious apps – The number of malicious apps downloaded in 2021 is 51,103.
- Online Banking – 3,478 unique malware related to online banking and intercepted.
Obviously, there is still a long way to go for Italy in terms of cyber attacks and security.