Security News > 2023 > April > The hidden picture of malware attack trends

Despite the decline in network-detected malware in Q4 2022, endpoint ransomware spiked by 627%, while malware associated with phishing campaigns persisted as a threat, according to WatchGuard.

Despite seeing an overall decline in malware, further analysis from WatchGuard Threat Lab researchers looking at Fireboxes that decrypt HTTPS traffic found a higher incidence of malware, indicating malware activity has shifted to encrypted traffic.

"A continuing and concerning trend in our data and research shows that encryption - or, more accurately, the lack of decryption at the network perimeter - is hiding the full picture of malware attack trends," said Corey Nachreiner, CSO at WatchGuard.

Network-based malware detections dropped approximately 9.2% percent quarter over quarter during Q4. This continues a general decline in malware detections over the last two quarters.

Endpoint malware detections increased 22%. While network malware detections fell, endpoint detection rose in Q4. This supports the team's hypothesis of malware shifting to encrypted channels.

In browser malware detections, threat actors targeted Internet Explorer the most with 42% of the detections, followed by Firefox with 38%. Zero day or evasive malware has dropped to 43% in unencrypted traffic.

News URL

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/04/06/malware-attack-trends-q4-2022/