Check Point Software´s Security Report Reveals Extent of Global Cyber Pandemic, and Shows How Organizations Can Develop Immunity in 2021

Rhea-AI Summary

Check Point Research has released its 2021 Security Report, revealing tactics used by cyber criminals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Key findings include over 100,000 malicious websites and 10,000 malicious files appearing daily, with 87% of organizations facing attacks exploiting known vulnerabilities. The report highlights a significant surge in ransomware, especially in the healthcare sector, which saw a 45% increase in attacks. With 46% of employees downloading malicious mobile apps, the report emphasizes urgent improvements in cloud security and remote working defenses.

Positive

• Check Point's report provides crucial insights for organizations to improve their cybersecurity resilience.
• The report highlights significant vulnerabilities that businesses can address to enhance their security posture.

Negative

• The increasing frequency of successful attacks, including ransomware every 10 seconds, indicates a deteriorating cybersecurity landscape.
• Healthcare sector attacks rose by 45%, suggesting a targeted vulnerability in a critical area.

New report shows how hackers and criminals exploited COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 to target all business sectors and highlights the key tactics used, from cloud exploits to phishing and ransomware

• The world faces over 100,000 malicious websites and 10,000 malicious files daily
• 87% of organizations have experienced an attempted exploit of an already-known, existing vulnerability
• 46% of organizations have had at least one employee download a malicious mobile application
  

SAN CARLOS, Calif., Feb. 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Check Point Research (CPR), the Threat Intelligence arm of Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHKP), a leading provider of cyber security solutions globally, has published its 2021 Security Report. The report reveals the key attack vectors and techniques observed by CPR researchers as criminal, political and nation-state threat actors exploited the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to target organizations across all sectors. It also gives cyber-security professionals and C-Level executives the information they need to protect their organizations against these advanced fifth-generation cyber-attacks and threats.

Highlights of the Check Point Research 2021 Security Report include:

• Cloud adoption races ahead of security: 2020 saw organizations’ digital transformation programs advance by over five years in response to the pandemic, but public cloud security is still a major concern for 75% of enterprises. Also, over 80% of enterprises found their existing security tools don’t work at all or have only limited functions in the cloud, showing that cloud security problems will continue into 2021.
  
  
• Remote working is targeted: hackers ramped up ‘thread hijacking’ attacks on remote workers to steal data or infiltrate networks using the Emotet and Qbot trojans, which impacted 24% of organizations globally. Attacks against remote access systems such as RDP and VPN also increased sharply.
  
  
• Double-extortion ransomware attacks rise: in Q3 2020, nearly half of all ransomware incidents involved the threat of releasing data stolen from the target organization. On average, a new organization becomes a victim of ransomware every 10 seconds worldwide.
  
  
• Attacks on healthcare sector become an epidemic: in Q4 2020, CPR reported that cyber-attacks (especially ransomware attacks) on hospitals had increased by 45% worldwide, because criminals believe they are more likely to meet ransom demands due to the pressures from COVID-19 cases.
  
  
• Mobiles are moving targets: 46% of organizations had at least one employee download a malicious mobile application, which threatens their networks and data in 2020. The increased use of mobiles during global lockdowns has also driven growth in banking and information-stealing mobile Trojans.
  

“Businesses globally surprised themselves with the speed of their digital initiatives in 2020: it’s estimated that digital transformation was advanced by up to seven years. But at the same time, threat actors and cyber criminals also changed their tactics so that they could take advantage of these changes, and the pandemic’s disruption, with surges in attacks across all sectors,” said Dorit Dor, vice president of products, Check Point Software. “We need to act now to stop this cyber pandemic spreading out of control. Organizations need to vaccinate their hyper-connected networks to prevent these damaging cyber-attacks that cause so much disruption.”

Check Point’s 2021 Security Report is based on data from Check Point’s ThreatCloud intelligence, the largest collaborative network for fighting cybercrime which delivers threat data and attack trends from a global network of threat sensors; from Check Point’s research investigations over the last 12 months; and on recent survey reports by Check Point of IT professionals and C-level executives. The report examines the latest emerging threats across industry sectors, and gives a comprehensive overview of the trends observed in the malware landscape, in emerging data breach vectors, and in nation-state cyber-attacks.  It also includes expert analysis from Check Point’s thought leaders; to help organizations understand and prepare themselves for today´s and tomorrow’s complex threat landscape.

For more details, download the full report.

Follow Check Point Research via:
Blog: https://research.checkpoint.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_cpresearch_

About Check Point Research
Check Point Research (CPR) provides leading cyber threat intelligence to Check Point Software customers and the greater intelligence community. The research team collects and analyzes global cyber-attack data stored on ThreatCloud to keep hackers at bay, while ensuring all Check Point products are updated with the latest protections. The research team consists of over 100 analysts and researchers cooperating with other security vendors, law enforcement and various CERTs.

About Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.
Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (www.checkpoint.com) is a leading provider of cyber security solutions to governments and corporate enterprises globally.  Check Point’s solutions protect customers from 5^th generation cyber-attacks with an industry leading catch rate of malware, ransomware and advanced targeted threats. Check Point offers a multilevel security architecture, “Infinity Total Protection with Gen V advanced threat prevention”, this combined product architecture defends an enterprise’s cloud, network and mobile devices. Check Point provides the most comprehensive and intuitive one point of control security management system. Check Point protects over 100,000 organizations of all sizes.

MEDIA CONTACT:	INVESTOR CONTACT:
Emilie Beneitez Lefebvre	Kip E. Meintzer
Check Point Software Technologies	Check Point Software Technologies
press@checkpoint.com	ir@us.checkpoint.com

 

FAQ

What are the main findings of the Check Point 2021 Security Report?

The report found over 100,000 malicious websites daily and highlighted significant ransomware attacks, especially on the healthcare sector.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected cybersecurity according to Check Point?

The pandemic has led to increased cyber-attacks, exploiting vulnerabilities as organizations rapidly adopted digital transformations.

What percentage of organizations downloaded malicious mobile applications in 2020?

46% of organizations reported that at least one employee downloaded a malicious mobile application.

What is the significance of Check Point's report for CHKP shareholders?

The report underscores the growing demand for cybersecurity solutions, potentially benefiting CHKP as organizations seek to enhance their defenses.