SonicWall is an internet security company based in San Jose, California. It has issued a report on the cybersecurity landscape and the threats faced by the domain. The numbers provided in the report are quite contrary to the general perception regarding ransomware attacks. Ransomware attacks are not making it to the international headlines as they did last year. Therefore, many people have started to believe that the threat of cryptovirological attacks is not as serious as before.

According to the SonicWall report, over 180 million ransomware attacks have taken place in the first six months of 2018. There has been an increase of 229 percent in ransomware attacks if we compare it with the first six months of the last year. The report hasn’t given any details regarding the success ratio of this cryptovirological activity. However, it is not quite difficult to figure out that significant resources must have gone into the ransomware removal measures.

On the other hand, cryptojacking attacks are also on the rise. This means cybercriminals are trying to capitalize on every malicious activity. To say that cryptojacking has substituted ransomware activities won’t be right, however. So, organizations and individual will have to remain on guard against ransomware actions. Similarly, cyber security experts are still required to further hone their ransomware removal expertise.

Encrypted Malware Delivery

The report has also highlighted another significant development in the method of malware delivery. It has been reported that cybercriminals are also using standard encryption protocols (SSL/TLS standards) like legitimate internet traffic to circumvent security barriers. There has been a 275 percent increase in encrypted attacks in the first half of 2018 as compared to the same time frame in 2017. Researchers who compiled the report predict that the prevalence of encryption for malware delivery will continue to increase until it will become the standard for every cybercriminal activity.