The latest data provided by the Singapore Cyber Emergency Response Team (SingCERT) shows the number of attacks trending in the wrong direction, with some indicators that the good guys still may be winning.
I tend to focus a lot on stories that are cause for alarm. I don’t do it because I want to spread a bunch of “FUD” (fear, uncertainty, doubt), but because these stories represent the reality of cyberattacks and their impact today. So, every time there is a great piece of data that sheds some light on how well cybercriminals are doing, you truly need to hear it. But the same goes for when organizations are gaining ground in stopping attacks.
And that’s exactly what we’re seeing with SingCERT’s recently released Singapore Cyber Landscape (SCL) 2022 report. According to the report, the number of cyberattack cases reported in 2022 was 8,500 – that’s up from only 3,100 the previous year. The largest targeted sector was banking/financial, representing over 80% of attacks.
But then there’s some goodness to report as well:
- The number of ransomware cases was down slightly – 132 cases in 2022, down from 137 the previous year
- The number of infected systems was down as well – only 81,500 in 2022, down from 94,000 the previous year
- The number of websites defaced by attackers was down – only 340 reported in 2022, down from 419 the previous year
What that means is organizations are improving their security stance, while also getting better at reporting cyberattacks. Both of these aspects of a cybersecurity strategy are found within maturing security cultures within organizations – something that includes security awareness training.
While threat actors appear to be busier and, perhaps, seemingly more successful, the SingCERT data shows that this may be more a case of organizations improving at detecting, stopping and reporting these attacks.
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