(Download the 2021 Malware Report by completing form at right.)
Malware and ransomware are one of the most destructive security threats affecting organizations of all sizes, from SMBs to large enterprises and government agencies. Malware is continuously evolving and organizations are facing significant challenges in responding to the threat and protecting their IT environments against new types of viruses, worms, spyware, ransomware, and crypto-jacking malware.
The 2021 Malware Report was produced by Cybersecurity Insiders and HelpSystems to reveal the latest malware security trends, challenges, and investment priorities.
Key findings include:
• Eighty-eight percent of respondents see malware and ransomware either as an extreme threat (60%, up five points since last year) or moderate threat (28%).
• A significant majority (75%) of IT security professionals predict malware and ransomware to become a larger threat in the future.
• Spear-phishing emails remain the single most dangerous malware attack vector at 82%, followed by domain spoofing (45%) and man-in-the-middle attacks (43%).
• Ransomware is impacting organizations at the business level, as well as from an IT security policy and control perspective. On the business side, malware attacks caused an increase in IT security-related spending (61%, up two points from last year’s survey) and productivity loss (55%). At the IT operations level, ransomware is forcing cybersecurity professionals to update IT security strategies to focus on mitigation (45%), as well as causing system downtime (42%).
• When asked about the most effective security solutions to combat malware/ransomware, security professionals rank anti-malware/antivirus/endpoint security solutions the highest at 78%. This is closely followed by user awareness and training at 70%.
We would like to thank HelpSystems for supporting this unique research.
