Trend Micro protected Kuwait from over 24mln threats in 2021

Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), a global leader in cybersecurity solutions, today released its 2021 annual cybersecurity report: Navigating New Frontiers. The report highlights the growing rate of cyber-attacks by malicious actors on digital infrastructures and individuals in the modern-day hybrid work environment.

The report states that globally Trend Micro solutions stopped over 94.2 billion threats in 2021, a 42% increase in the number of detections recorded in 2020. Attacks had surged over 53 billion in the second half of 2021, blocking 41 billion threats in H1 2021. Ransomware attackers are shifting their focus to critical businesses and industries more likely to pay, and double extortion tactics ensure that they can profit. Ransomware-as-a-service offerings have opened the market to cybercriminals with limited technical knowledge, as well as given rise to more specialization, such as initial access brokers who are now an essential part of the cybercrime supply chain. Threat actors are getting better at exploiting human error to compromise cloud infrastructure and remote workers. Homeworkers are often prone to take more risks than those in the office, which makes phishing a greater risk.

In Kuwait, Trend Micro solutions detected and blocked nearly 15 million (14,911,051) email threats, over 1.7 million (1,780,214) malware attacks, and over 3.5 million (3,528,979) URL victims’ attacks. Furthermore, shielding remote learning and working, Smart Home Network (SHN) solutions protected devices and networks from 393,654 SHN inbound and outbound attacks and prevented 756,857 SHN events.

“Enterprises in Kuwait have resiliently navigated through the challenges brought to them by the pandemic and other global crises, as they have successfully adapted to the evolving digital world by reapproaching their security strategies,” said Assad Arabi, Managing Director, Gulf Cluster, Trend Micro. “But with today’s accelerated hybrid environment, organizations will have to further bolster their operations with in-depth insights and robust solutions safeguarding employees in unsecured remote locations with access to a company’s network. The annual cybersecurity report provides the necessary knowledge security teams require to improve their infrastructure and secure their digital agendas against both old and new threats in the near future and beyond.”

According to Trend Micro’s Security Predictions report for 2022, better readiness for security teams against emerging threats is essential across sectors. With these related insights, Kuwait strives to build upon this movement against the threat landscape going forward.