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.
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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).
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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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