Cyberthreats and Cyberattacks: Global Trends, Ransomware Rates Revealed -

CyberRes, a digital transformation security specialist owned by Micro Focus, has released its first annual report on the current state of cyberthreats. The study makes the point, based on data from 2021, that as organizations move quickly to adopt digital as a competitive differentiator, adversaries are equally quick at exploiting vulnerabilities in the digital value chain.

The 2022 CyberRes Galaxy Annual Report is the first in a series to provide a perspective on geopolitical, regional and industry threat conditions and what to expect throughout the year.

Here are the top 10 findings for 2021 detailed in the report:

North America topped the list of most impacted regions, experiencing 33% of the total cyber issues reported, followed by Asia-Pacific at 23% and Europe at 20%.

Globally, approximately 19% of the cyberattacks were ransomware.

The services sector was most targeted globally, with 33% of cyberattacks, followed by the public sector (21%).

There was a 200% growth in cyberattacks targeting the financial sector.

Almost 69% of the cyberattacks in North America were motivated by financial gain.

Germany (21.6%) and France (18%) were the two countries affected most by cyberattacks in Europe.

Approximately 33% of the total cyberattacks conducted in the Asia-Pacific region were meant for cyber espionage, followed by financial gain.

In Latin America, LockBit ransomware accounted for 28% of the region's total ransomware attacks, followed by Prometheus ransomware with a share of 13%.

In the Middle East and Africa, 31% of the geopolitical and cybersecurity events were motivated by financial gain and political advantage.

The telecommunication and technology sectors experienced the most cyberattacks in the Australia-New Zealand region with 35.7%, followed by financial services at 18% and the healthcare sector at 11%.

"Everyone is at risk from feeling direct or indirect impacts from cyberattacks, as all records were smashed last year in terms of the sheer number of cyberattacks on government entities, private-sector organizations, and individuals," said Mark Fernandes, CyberRes Global chief technology officer. "Unfortunately, this trend is continuing in 2022. One of the key effective defenses is to maintain a clear understanding of the current landscape, tactics, and threats that could be emerging."

CyberRes has an MDR (managed detection and response) business, and the security company also works with consulting firms, systems integrators, MSSPs and MSPs, cloud service providers, technology partners and training partners.

Meanwhile, CyberRes parent Micro Focus has been working to transform its overall enterprise software business, though the journey may be a long one. Annual revenue was down 5 percent in fiscal year 2021 compared to 2020. The company hopes to exit fiscal year 2023 with a “flat or better revenue trajectory,” Micro Focus told investors in February 2022.