In today’s digital age, malware attacks have become a major problem. Malicious software can infiltrate computers and networks to cause severe harm.
Ransomware is a common type of malware. It’s encryption based malware that prevents people from accessing files until they pay a large amount to the cyber criminal. This attack can be used against individuals, large companies and even government agencies.
Malware attacks are not only a financial loss, but can also have catastrophic effects for individuals and businesses. Sometimes, it is possible to steal or destroy sensitive data as part of an attack. If confidential data is compromised or exposed, this can result in identity theft and fraud.
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Atlas VPN recently conducted a study that showed how malware infections are on the rise. It also shows the trends of the malware samples discovered in the first quarter of 2022.
Researchers estimate that 59.58 Million have been discovered in the first quarter of 2022. These represent 95.6% all malware found during this time.
The , which is an independent company that rates and evaluates antivirus software and provides services related to IT Security and Antivirus Research. This study includes malware samples that were detected during the fourth quarter of 2021 as well as the first three quarters in 2022.
Malware in Windows, Linux and Android
The overall trend is downward in malware sample data this year, which has fallen by 34% compared to last year. The numbers remain extremely high.
The next Windows is Linux Malware, which has 1.76 Million new malware samples. This represents 2.8% of all malware threats for 2022.
Android malware is third with 938,379 new in the first quarter of 2022, which represents 1.5% of all new malware.
In the same time frame, 8 329 malware samples aimed at macOS of unknown origin were also observed.
The total number of malware infections
The shows that there were 62.29 millions of malware attacks in the first quarter of 2022, across all operating system types. These are approximately 228,164 malware threats per day.
Quarter-by-quarter, we can see that the first quarter 2022 had the highest number of malware samples at 22.35million. This number fell by 4.4% to 21.49 millions in the second quarter. It fell by 14%, to 18.45 millions.
With 7.62million new threats discovered in November and October, the numbers are continuing to fall. This is nearly 60% lower than the third quarter last year.
Protection against Malware
Malware can be a serious threat to users of the internet, both on personal networks and in professional ones. Malware can damage computers and networks as well as data, which can lead to costly repairs. There are several steps that you can take in order to avoid malware.
Your is the most critical step to protecting your network against malware. Anti-malware software must be updated regularly to keep it up to date and able detect new threats.
Be careful not to click suspicious links, or download files that are unknown as they could potentially contain malware and cause harm.
A secure browser can help you stay online safe. It has security features such as pop-up blocking, phishing protection and ad-blockers.
