Brazil faced a high threat of malware in the first half of 2024, asserts survey

The Acronis, cybersecurity company, released the latestCyber Threat Reportfor the first half of 2024, which revealed a significant increase in malware threats in Brazil. According to the semi-annual document, the country consistently recorded high percentages of standardised malware detections

Such growth has made the country the second largest target of criminals using this type of cyber threat., behind only the US

• January 2024: 22,6%
• February 2024: 23,3%
• March 2024: 31,1%
• April 2024: 31,7%
• May 2024: 28,0%

Brazil also ranked 4th among the top 15 countries – where Acronis is present – in terms of blocked URLs, with 21,8% of them prevented only in April 2024

The growing malware detection rates in Brazil are a clear sign that organizations need to strengthen their cybersecurity defenses, said Gaidar Magdanurov, President of Acronis. The report emphasises the importance of security awareness training and consolidating solutions for effective cyber resilience. Educate employees on best cybersecurity practices and invest in integrated security measures, like the Acronis XDR, can significantly increase protection and reduce costs, completed

Based on data collected from more than 1.000.000 unique endpoints globally, The report made it clear that the high malware detection rates in Brazil are an indication that there is a deficit in the country's cybersecurity and that there is an urgent need to create barriers and more effective measures to deal with these attacks.

Detailed view of cyber threat trends

• Rise of ransomware: With a 23% increase in cases, Ransomware remains a major threat to small and medium-sized businesses, including critical sectors such as government and health
• Email attacks: Compared to the first half of 2023, E-mail attacks increased by an incredible 293 percent.. This fact points to the need for advanced email security solutions to protect against phishing and malware.
• Use of AI in Cyber Attacks: Although artificial intelligence has not taken over the entire chain of cyberattacks, Its use in creating sophisticated and personalized malware is growing steadily.
• Short-lived malware: The average lifespan of a malware sample until June 2024 was only 2,3 days, which emphasizes the rapidly evolving nature of cyber threats