Email Attacks Skyrocket by 293% in EMEA, UAE Malware Up by 11.7% In H1 2024

The UAE has seen a notable rise in malware detections, with an 11.7% increase from January to May 2024. This trend is part of a broader pattern affecting many EMEA countries, particularly with rising malware detections and high-profile ransomware attacks.

Bahrain recorded the highest malware detection rate at 63.2% in April 2024, followed by Egypt at 42.6%.

Acronis, a global leader in cybersecurity and data protection, released its biannual cyberthreats report for the first half of 2024 on Tuesday. The "Acronis Cyberthreats Report H1 2024: Email attacks surge 293%, new ransomware groups emerge" highlights significant trends in cybersecurity. The report, based on data from over one million unique Windows endpoints across 15 countries, reveals a staggering 293% increase in email attacks compared to the same period in 2023.

"The insights from Acronis' H1 2024 Cyberthreats Report highlight the urgent need for heightened vigilance and advanced protective measures," remarked Ziad Nasr, General Manager for the Middle East at Acronis.

Ransomware remains a significant threat to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), especially in critical sectors like government and healthcare. In Q1 2024, Acronis identified ten new ransomware groups responsible for 84 cyberattacks globally.

Among the top 10 most active ransomware families detected during this period were LockBit, Black Basta, and PLAY, collectively accounting for 35% of these attacks. Ransomware detections increased by 32% from Q4 2023 to Q1 2024.

The report also highlights emerging cybersecurity trends, such as the increasing use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs) by threat groups. AI is being leveraged in social engineering and automation attacks, with common AI-generated threats including malicious emails, deepfake business email compromise (BEC), deepfake extortions, KYC bypasses, and script and malware generation.

Global Threat Landscape

Bahrain, Egypt, and South Korea were among the top countries targeted by malware attacks in Q1 2024. During this period, over 28 million URLs were blocked at endpoints. Additionally, spam constituted 27.6% of all received emails, with 1.5% containing malware or phishing links. The average lifespan of a malware sample in the wild was found to be just 2.3 days.

The UAE experienced varying monthly percentages of global detections ranging from 0.8% to 1.9% throughout the first half of 2024. In comparison, Germany's percentages ranged from 6.4% to 9.9%, France's ranged from 3.6% to 5.5%, and the United Kingdom's ranged from 4.3% to 6.1%. The sharp increase in malware detections among UAE clients reflects a concerning trend of escalating cyber threats.

Attacks on MSPs

Managed Service Providers (MSPs) have been particularly vulnerable to persistent threats such as phishing, social engineering, and supply chain attacks from January to May 2024. "MSPs are particularly vulnerable," said Ziad Nasr of Acronis Middle East.

The report underscores that MSPs should adopt comprehensive security strategies that include security awareness training and advanced endpoint protection solutions like XDR and multi-factor authentication.

Phishing and Email Attacks

Email attacks surged significantly in H1 2024 compared to H1 2023. Organizations saw a rise in email communications by about 25%, coinciding with a substantial increase in email attacks targeting them by approximately 47%. Around one-fourth of users encountered phishing attempts through malicious URLs.

"As a result of the increasing volume and complexities of cyber threats we continue to uncover... it is of utmost importance that MSPs take a holistic approach," said Irina Artioli, Cyber Protection Evangelist at Acronis Threat Research Unit.

Leveraging AI

Cybercriminals are increasingly using malicious AI tools like WormGPT and FraudGPT for their activities. While AI can assist attackers at every stage of the cyberattack kill chain, it can also serve as a defense mechanism by enabling round-the-clock detection of attacks and reporting them to experts for appropriate response actions.

The Acronis H1 2024 Cyberthreats Report includes data on ransomware threats, phishing incidents, malicious websites, software vulnerabilities, and tips on how to protect against these threats.

This biannual report sets industry standards by consistently establishing itself as a benchmark for cybersecurity intelligence.