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Seattle, Sept. 25, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WatchGuard® Technologies, a global leader in network security and intelligence, secure Wi-Fi and multi-factor authentication, today announced the release of its quarterly Internet Security Report for Q2 2019. For the first time, the report reveals and ranks the most common domains attackers use to host malware and launch phishing attacks – including several subdomains of legitimate sites and Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) such as CloudFlare.net, SharePoint and Amazonaws.com. It also highlights that modules from the popular Kali Linux penetration testing tool made the top ten malware list for the first time, year-over-year malware volume increased by 64%, and more.
“This edition of the Internet Security Report exposes the gritty details of the methods hackers use to sneak malware or phishing emails onto networks by hiding them on legitimate content-hosting domains,” said Corey Nachreiner, chief technology officer at WatchGuard Technologies. “Luckily there are several ways to defend against this, including DNS-level filtering to block connections to known malicious websites, advanced anti-malware services, multi-factor authentication to prevent attacks leveraging compromised credentials, and training to help employees recognize phishing emails. No one defense will prevent every attack, so the best way for organizations to protect themselves is with a unified security platform that offers multiple layered security services.”
WatchGuard’s Internet Security Report provides real-world data on top security threats, as well as detailed analysis of major security incidents and best practices to help organizations of all sizes protect their business and their customers’ data. Key findings from the Q2 2019 report include:
WatchGuard’s Internet Security Report is based on anonymized Firebox Feed data from a subset of active WatchGuard UTM appliances whose owners have opted in to share data to support the Threat Lab’s research efforts. Today, 41,229 appliances throughout the world contribute to the Internet Security Report data pool. In total, those appliances blocked more than 22,619,836 malware variants, at a rate of 549 samples per device. Additionally, those Firebox appliances prevented 2,265,425 network attacks (60 per device), a significant increase from Q1 2019 that runs counter to past trends in network attack volume.
The complete report includes more detailed statistics on the most impactful malware and network attack trends from Q2 2019, an analysis of the RobbinHood ransomware attack that paralyzed the city of Baltimore in May 2019 (and cost approximately $17 million in total damages), and advice and best practices that readers can use to better protect themselves and their organizations.
Analysis of MSP Sodinokibi Ransomware Attacks
The report also contains a detailed analysis of the actual malware used in the Sodinokibi MSP ransomware attacks. The WatchGuard Threat Lab’s research shows that the attackers leveraged weak, stolen, or leaked credentials to gain administrative access to legitimate management tools that these MSPs used to monitor and manage their clients’ networks, then used these tools to disable security controls and stage and deliver the Sodinokibi ransomware via PowerShell.
For more information, download the full report here.
About WatchGuard Technologies, Inc.
WatchGuard® Technologies, Inc. is a global leader in network security, secure Wi-Fi, multi-factor authentication, and network intelligence. The company’s award-winning products and services are trusted around the world by nearly 10,000 security resellers and service providers to protect more than 80,000 customers. WatchGuard’s mission is to make enterprise-grade security accessible to companies of all types and sizes through simplicity, making WatchGuard an ideal solution for midmarket businesses and distributed enterprises. The company is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, with offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. To learn more, visit WatchGuard.com.
For additional information, promotions and updates, follow WatchGuard on Twitter @WatchGuard on Facebook or on the LinkedIn Company page. Also, visit our InfoSec blog, Secplicity, for real-time information about the latest threats and how to cope with them at www.secplicity.org. Subscribe to The 443 – Security Simplified podcast at Secplicity.org, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.
WatchGuard is a registered trademark of WatchGuard Technologies, Inc. All other marks are property of their respective owners.
Chris Warfield WatchGuard Technologies 8007349905 chris.warfield@watchguard.com Anthony Cogswell Voxus PR for WatchGuard Technologies 253-444-5980 ajcogswell@voxuspr.com