Malware Attacks Increase by 30% in First Half of 2024
Malware threats surged in the first half of 2024, increasing by 30% compared to the same period in 2023, as reported by SonicWall’s 2024 Mid-Year Cyber Threat Report.
A notable spike in malware attacks occurred from March to May, with a 92% year-on-year increase in May alone.
The firm identified 78,923 new malware variants in H1 2024, averaging 526 new variants daily.
Additionally, 15% of all observed malware utilized software packing as their primary MITRE TTP.
Malware Attackers Adept at Defense Evasion
The report also found that threat actors are employing more sophisticated malware and delivery mechanisms to increase the success of attacks.
These techniques are designed to bypass common security protocols.
PowerShell, a legitimate Windows automation tool, is now exploited by over 90% of malware families, including AgentTesla, GuLoader, AsyncRAT, DBatLoader, and LokiBot.
PowerShell scripts are used for various malicious tasks, such as evading detection and downloading additional malware.
Despite extensive efforts to restrict the execution of downloaded scripts, SonicWall noted that attackers bypass these restrictions by invoking scripts locally or using command-line arguments to execute malicious code.
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