Malwarebytes Global State of Malware Report Reveals 1000 Percent Increase in Ransomware Detections in Asia Pacific

SINGAPORE – January 26, 2018 – Malwarebytes, the leading advanced malware prevention and remediation solution, today released a security research report analyzing the top malware threats for 2017 in the world. The Malwarebytes Cybercrime Tactics and Techniques: 2017 State of Malware Report shows sharp increases in malware-based cybercrime, including ransomware, banking Trojans, spyware, adware, cryptocurrency miners and others were detected across all victims.

Globally, the study reveals a 90 percent increase in ransomware attacks for businesses and consumers, becoming the fifth-most detected threat. In Asia Pacific, ransomware (1000% increase), hijacker (522% increase), spyware (200% increase), and worms (50% increase), all increased from 2016.

Jeff Hurmuses, Area Vice President and Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Malwarebytes said, “It’s clear that cybercriminals are becoming more strategic as they pick the most effective form of attack. While Asia Pacific hasn’t been a major target in the past, the data we are seeing leads us to believe that ransomware, worms, and spyware attacks will become a major threat in the region. It’s crucial that companies, particularly in the healthcare and education sectors, stay ahead of these threats, familiarize themselves with cybercriminals’ methodologies and tactics, and replace their outdated security systems before they become a victim of an attack.”

To better understand how cybercriminals are evolving their threats and tactics, Malwarebytes researchers analyzed security threat telemetry from January 2016 to November 2017. Data was also obtained from Malwarebytes’ internal honeypots and collection efforts to identify not only infection, but also malware distribution. The report finds significant increases in the volume of threats against both businesses and consumers and details the most interesting and impactful methods of malware creation and distribution in all of 2017.

Read the full Cybercrime Tactics & Techniques: 2017 State of Malware Report here.

Malwarebytes proactively protects people and businesses against dangerous threats such as malware, ransomware and exploits that escape detection by traditional antivirus solutions. Malwarebytes completely replaces antivirus solutions to remove the personal obstacles and business interruptions caused by modern cybersecurity threats. More than 10,000 businesses and millions of people trust Malwarebytes innovative machine-learning solutions and global team of researchers to identify emerging threats and to prevent and eradicate malware that antiquated security solutions miss and leave behind. For more information, please visit us at http://www.malwarebytes.com/.

Malwarebytes founder and CEO Marcin Kleczynski started the company to create the best disinfection and protection solutions to combat the world’s most harmful Internet threats. Marcin was recently named “CEO of the Year” in the Global Excellence awards and has been named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Rising Stars of Enterprise Technology list and the Silicon Valley Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 award, adding those to an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.