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Technology

The number of cyber attacks in Brazil is increasing

In the second quarter of 2022 alone, the country recorded an increase of 46%.

Photo: Pixabay

Daniel Xavier – special for Dnevnik

With the constant advancement of technology in different spheres of society, Brazil and the world are increasingly vulnerable to cyber attacks. According to Chekpoint Research, average cyberattacks in the second quarter of 2022 increased by 46%, a difference of 14% compared to the global average of 32%.

The company’s data also reveals that the average number of incidents in Brazil is 1,540, which is higher than the global average of 1,200 attacks per week. The figure is 94% higher compared to the first half of last year.

In the last week of September alone, corresponding to the period from the 4th to the 10th, a total of 23,511 cyberattacked devices were recorded in Brazil, according to data from research conducted by the cybersecurity solutions company Fortinet, in partnership with the Intelligence and Threat Lab, FortiGuard Labs.

Within the total number of incidents in this week of September, the following types of attacks were configured: botnet with 59.44%, which corresponds to 13,976 attacks, followed by viruses with 23.44% (5,512 attacks) and finally the endpoint with 17.11% (4,023 attacks ).

What kind of attacks are these?

All these mentioned attacks are a form of malware, which are all types of malware used to cause damage, which can be even financial, damage systems, intercept data or simply annoy the user, affecting both computers and mobile phones, and even and on entire networks.

Viruses, which are common knowledge, are most often manifested through pop-up windows, which are a type of window that opens in the browser when visiting a website or accessing a certain link. They usually “warn” the user that their device has some execution problem and for that they have to click on the troubleshooting window. With this, a virus can successfully attach itself to a program, file or document and steal passwords or data, record keyboard usage, damage files, spam your email contacts and even take control of your computer.

Botnets are special Trojans that penetrate the security of multiple users’ computers and take control of each of them, organizing all the infected machines into a network of “bots” that can be controlled remotely, like a computer network. zombies. When a device is contaminated, a criminal is able to execute a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, which is a large-scale spam campaign.

Finally, an endpoint is a communication endpoint, a type of communication network node. They are application access points of communication or part of the network security fabric.

The second country in the world that suffered cyber attacks

For criminal law professor and criminal lawyer, Carlos Fernando Maggiola, the fact that Brazil is a country of continental dimensions greatly contributes to the excessive number of cyber attacks. “Brazil is just behind the United States in terms of cyberattacks. We are the second country that suffers the most cyberattacks on the planet. While some countries, such as those in the Southeast, for example, have already implemented their technology systems in recent years, others, such as those in the North and in the northeast, they had to perform these tasks – making it easier for hackers who manage to break into servers remotely,” says the lawyer.

The lawyer points to the pandemic as the main factor in the increase in attacks in recent years.

“During the pandemic, Brazilians had to quickly adapt to the ‘home office’. That way there was no time for planning. Even worse for public bodies that, slow and bureaucratic in nature, had to quickly migrate to online systems. Much of this was done on speed and security were compromised. The network we use at home, for example, is not the same as the network of a company or a public agency – and that opens up space for cyberattacks,” he says.

In addition, he also points out that the “Brazilian way” is another major factor contributing to this amount of attacks. “The number of SMEs in Brazil is very large – so much so that they are what drive the country’s economy. Culturally we are used to the ‘Brazilian way’ and the business class is no exception to the rule. They hire specialists to develop or manage their computer systems. they turn to more knowledgeable friends and acquaintances for a much lower price, but that’s an invitation for hackers and criminals, because they’re very vulnerable to attacks,” he comments.

He even says that using other people’s data is a pot of gold for criminals. “Today, third-party data means money. There are thousands of types of fraud that can be practiced through third-party data. From fraudulently opening a bank account to mega-negotiations involving real estate. Personal data today is worth more than gold,” explains the lawyer.