Trend Micro: Italy tops Europe in malware attacks

Our cybersecurity partner, Trend Micro, has released its semi-annual threat report. Italy once again confirms its position as one of the most targeted countries in the world by cybercriminals.

Italy has been ranked third globally and first in Europe for being affected by malware. This information has been revealed in the Trend Micro Research report titled "Stepping ahead of risk," which analyzes cyber threats that occurred in the first half of 2023. The study confirms that Italy remains a prime target for cybercriminals to launch attacks and reinforces the need for increased cyber security measures in the country.

Italy: Key Figures for the First Half of 2023 

• Malware - Italy remains the third most affected country globally and the first in Europe, with a total of 174,608,112 intercepted malware. The top five positions are as follows: United States (417,545,421), Japan (355,248,073), Italy (174,608,112), India (120,426,491), Brazil (96,908,591).
• Email threats that affected Italy in the first half of 2023 numbered 119,048,776.
• Visits to malicious websites totaled 470,479, with 68,334 malicious websites hosted in Italy being blocked.
• Malicious apps - The number of malicious apps downloaded in the first half of 2023 was 724,698.
• Online Banking - 804 unique online banking malware instances were intercepted.

AI, the New Frontier of Cybercrime

Globally, in the first half of 2023, the rapid expansion of generative artificial intelligence tools has enabled cybercriminals to use new tools such as WormGPT and FraudGPT, leading to the organization of new scams, such as virtual kidnappings. Ransomware attacks continue to be a significant and increasingly sophisticated phenomenon. Various cybercriminal groups have also joined forces to maximize the results of their malicious activities.

The use of artificial intelligence allows cybercriminals to execute more sophisticated attacks, posing a new set of challenges. The good news is that the same technology can be used by security teams to work more effectively, as well. 

Worldwide, Trend Micro blocked a total of 85 billion threats in the first half of 2023, with approximately 37 billion threats arriving via email.

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