Cybercriminals Target Users With 4 Lakh New Malicious Files Daily: Report

Cybersecurity researchers have discovered that an average of 4,00,000 new malicious files daily over the past 10 months in 2022 which are used to target internet users. In comparison about 3,80,000 of such files were detected every day in 2021, demonstrating a 5 per cent jump this year.

Researchers discovered that the share of ransomware encountered daily increased by 181 per cent compared to 2021, reaching 9,500 encrypting files per day. Among other threats, 142 per cent growth in the share of Downloaders – malicious programs that install new versions of malware or unwanted applications on infected devices, was detected.

Windows continued to be the prime target of attacks among all platforms where threat families were spread. 

In 2022, Kaspersky experts discovered an average of nearly 3,20,000 malicious files attacking Windows devices. Out of all malicious files spread, 85 per cent of them targeted Windows. However, Windows is not the only popular platform for attackers. This year, Kaspersky's detection systems also discovered that the share of malicious files in Microsoft Office formats distributed daily doubled (236 per cent of growth).

“Considering how quickly the threat landscape is expanding its boundaries and the number of new devices appearing in users’ daily lives, it's quite possible that next year we'll be detecting not 400,000 malicious files per day, but half a million!” said Vladimir Kuskov, head of anti-malware research at Kaspersky

This year, experts also identified a 10 per cent increase in the share of malicious files targeting the Android platform every day. So, in addition to Windows and Office files, Android users have also become some of the favorite targets of fraudsters. The infamous 2022 campaigns Harly and Triada Trojan, which ambushed thousands of Android users around the world, are prime examples of this trend.