Malicious Links Hit 1.7 Billion SMBs Per Mimecast Report
Mimecast, a leading global Human Risk Management platform, today published its Global Threat Intelligence Report 2024 H1, revealing malicious links and AI-driven bots in call centres to be among the greatest threats to cybersecurity defences, with small businesses bearing the brunt of attacks.
The report analyses the threat landscape during the first six months of 2024 and offers actionable steps for organisations of all sizes to improve cyber defences. Key findings from the report include:
Threat Actors Link Up
Messaging attacks continue to evolve, with hackers moving away from pushing malware to using malicious links as the preferred method of delivering payloads to victims’ systems. In fact,
Mimecast’s analysis found malicious links surged by 133% in the first quarter of 2024 and 53% in the second quarter globally, compared to the same period in 2023. In APAC, this is a similar trend with more malicious links being reported in 2024 Ǫ1 as compared its the previous year.
Attacks are increasingly employing multiple layers of false information requiring more interaction from victims, who are forced to click through links, respond to CAPTCHAs, and engage with false multi-factor authentication requests. Additional obfuscation layers allow these types of attacks to fly under the radar, gaining entry where malware would be denied.
During the first half of the year, a campaign targeting Australian law firms used confusing URLs in email messages to send users to an intermediate page on one of several collaboration platforms. Clicking on the link redirects victims to a fake Microsoft login page to access credentials.
Travel Hospitality & Catering Industries Most Targeted
Malicious links remain the most prominent attacks blocked by Mimecast for the APAC region, with travel, Hospitality & Catering being the most targeted industry for 2024. The industry saw a large increase of more than twice the recorded TPU (Threats per User) when compared between 2023 Ǫ1 and 2024 Ǫ1.
Small Businesses Remain The Prime Target For Cyber Threats
As observed in the Ǫ4 2023 report, small businesses experience the highest volume of cyber threats, Mimecast saw a spike of over 80 threats per user (TPU) in Ǫ1 2024 for SMEs in the Asia-Pacific region. Employees at both small and medium businesses continue to see more than twice the number of threats compared to users at large enterprises.
“Email and collaboration tools are often seen merely as cost centres, but this overlooks their essential role in cybersecurity,” says Stanley Hsu, Mimecast Regional VP for Asia. “By optimising
email security, organisations can achieve significant cost efficiencies while ensuring robust protection against emerging threats. This approach is crucial not only for minimising cyber risks but also for maintaining the productivity and safety of your organisation.”
For more insights and recommendations from our team download the full report: Mimecast’s Global Threat Intelligence Report 2024 H1
