Cyber-attacks in 2021 hit an all-time high

Between the middle of 2020 and throughout 2021 there has been an unprecedented increase in the number of cyber-attacks faced by organisations globally.

In 2020, there was a 50% increase in attacks on corporate networks when compared to 2021, according to research from Check Point Research (CPR).

Moreover, the Log4j vulnerability, which was discovered in mid-December, contributed to the quarterly peak in weekly cyber-attacks per organization, with CPR reporting over 900 attacks per organization in Q4 of 2021.

Industry Breakdown

Based on CPR’s findings, the education and research sectors suffered the largest volume of attacks, with an average of 1,605 attacks per organization per week. This was a 75 percent increase from 2020.

The next most frequent attack sector was the military and government, which had 1,136 attacks per week (47% increase), and after that, the communications industry, with 1,079 attacks per organization per week (a 51 percent increase).

Regional data

The volume of attacks in 2021 was highest in Africa, with an average of 1,582 weekly attacks per organization. This represents a 13 percent increase from 2020.

The next highest region was Asia-Pacific, (1,353 attacks per organization, up 25 percent); Latin America (1,118 attacks per organization, up 38 percent); Europe (670 attacks per organization, up 68 percent); and North America, with an average of 503 attacks per organization, up 61 percent.

With cyber-attacks showing no signs of stopping, is your organisation prepared for one? Find out in our Free Click-Prone® Test today.

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