Interactive Report Summary
Q1 2021 Threat Report
Malware, botnet and exploitation are down this quarter, but attackers continue to look for the next angle.
Download the Report Top Findings at a Glance
Era of Remote Access
2020 shifted the workplace for numerous organizations into a remote-friendly atmosphere in efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19. While the workforce adjusted, system administrators scrambled to support this level of remote activity by configuring remote connections. Unfortunately, this added multiple new attack vectors that enabled threat actors to prey on organizations.
Malware activity began to trail off at the end of Q4 2020, and that trend continued throughout Q1 2021.
Hashes, domains and IP addresses for Emotet and Trickbot/BazarLoader malware.
Methodology
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Q1 2021 in Review
January through March
Activity
Average
0
Total Events
0
Unique Variants
-0.47%
Total Activity
Malware
Detection, Q1 2021Total activity in Q1 declined by -54.47% from Q4
How to Combat
To strengthen your defenses against malware activity, you’ll need to adopt a multiprong approach including endpoint protection platforms and cyber awareness training.
Malware
The decrease in activity is attributed mostly to a significant decline in activity from Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) and agent variants as well as Emotet activity.
Activity
Average
0
Total Events
0
Unique Variants
-0.68%
Total Activity
Botnets
Detection, Q1 2021Total activity in Q1 declined to 90,671 detections per week
How to Combat
To step up your efforts to stop botnet activity, which is usually detected post-infection, we recommend a focus on user awareness training, threat intelligence, next-generation antivirus and threat hunting.
Botnets
Overall, there was a -10.68% decrease in botnet activity observed when compared to Q4 2020, with a significant spike in activity in week 11 of the quarter. The overall decrease in activity likely can be attributed to the shutdown of the Emotet botnet.
Activity
Average
0
Total Events
0
Unique Variants
-076%
Total Activity
Exploits
Detection, Q1 2021Total activity in Q1 declined by -21.76% from Q4
How To Combat
Stop exploits before they do harm by patching systems, using a firewall with IPS, monitoring security news and vendor security bulletins, and disabling unused services.
Exploits
Activity witnessed in Q4 2020 remained in decline until week 10 in Q1, when a sharp increase of SMB brute force attempts occurred before activity dropped back to levels witnessed through most of the quarter.
Remote Access Concerns Aren’t Going Anywhere
The remote workplace continues to be a challenge for organizations as telecommuting increasingly becomes a staple in our society. With this in mind, organizations must prioritize patching/mitigation of remote access vulnerabilities as soon as they are announced. Download the full report to find out how you can prepare and tighten your security controls around the expected challenges highlighted by our security experts.
Download the Report