Number of cyber attacks in Brazil grows 16,346% in six months

Posted by: SC Inova Newsroom.

The number of cyber attacks on Brazilian systems has jumped in recent months. According to a survey by the security company Fortinet, in the last quarter (Q3-2021) were more than 525.1 billion shares that sought to exploit code execution vulnerabilities and remote control of breaches in servers – well above the 3.2 billion registered in the first three months of this year by the same company, an increase of 16,346%. The country stands out among the rest of Latin America, mainly due to the distance from the second place - the Peru - which, in the same period, suffered 3.3 billion attempts.

The finding that security needs to be reinforced is not exclusive to this study in particular, and is present in investigations carried out by several companies in the same segment. Under various approaches, an increase in the number of lawsuits of this type against individuals and legal entities can be seen. In another report, released in early september by Kaspersky, the volume of cases rose 23% in the first eight months of 2021 – compared to the same period of the previous year. For experts, there are well-defined causes that help explain the size of the problem.

Initially, considering only situations involving individuals, the director of the security company Dmitry Bestzhev says it is correct to say that “Latin American internet users look for threats, as they are disseminated through software piracy”. Scams using PDF files, simulations of sharing systems (such as Google Drive) and trojans web are also on the list, especially after the widespread use of mobile devices and solutions for the development of remote work during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Evidently, attacks against ordinary users are a problem, but reality shows that when the focus is on companies, the situation gets even more serious. The recent 2021 Data Risks Report, produced by Varonis, brings worrying numbers about data leaks: the analysis found that 40% of companies have more than 1000 confidential files open to all employees.

A similar percentage (44%) of industries have more than 1,000 active accounts with ghost users enabled, and more than half of companies have 500 accounts with passwords that are not updated. The breach of this data caused, in 2020 alone, losses on the order of US$ 5 million with recurring intrusions - which occur, on average, every 220 days.

PREPARED TO DEAL WITH CYBER CRIME

The recent case of attack involving the Spanish company Atento, provider of the contact center and BPO (business process outsourcing) for several companies with national operations in Brazil, on October 17th, interfered in the operations of health plans, airlines, banks and companies from other areas with operations here. There is still no updated information from the provider on what may have happened, but many customers have isolated external systems and reactivated call centers with “own structures”.

“Unidentified loopholes can enable data hijacking”, explains an expert.

‘‘The attitude was taken to minimize the damage. It is not possible to say what may have contributed to the situation, nor if this was due to a problem with the supplier, but the discussion about the feasibility of maintaining operations locally returns to the surface. Is this the best solution?”, asks specialist Marcos Stefano, CEO of Armazém Cloud, a company that has an interconnected network of datacenters.

Resuming the operation of a complex routine such as maintaining the security of the data necessary for the business consumes time, requires qualification and, above all, high-level investments. “It is unfeasible to think that keeping data at home can be a way out. Unidentified loopholes can enable data hijacking, unavailability of platforms and historic financial losses”, emphasizes Stefano.

In view of this, the service sector data center and infrastructure management has grown and created an upward trend in the volume of resources invested in customer safety, especially until 2026. One of the most recent reports from Global Market Insights, Inc. states that this branch and the adoption of cloud-based structures will drive market growth of around 21% by 2026. Demand for installation and integration services has grown, especially as they enable the deployment and configuration of efficiently and safely.

The difference lies in the quality of projects available in Brazil, such as TIER III certification in design and facility, million-dollar investments and cutting-edge fiber optic infrastructure through different routes – one of them just opened in a technology park in the south of the country. The model has interconnected units, international standards and certifications that guarantee the maintenance of data security and their prompt recovery through backups updated.

Such increments are fundamental and are not always available when the company chooses to manage this structure internally. “Companies need to be assured that the restoration of information will be quick and easy, minimizing the possibility of paying ransom in the event of a cyberattack to zero. ransomware. This requires a suitable environment, full automation and constant updating of the components of the data center – criteria not always easy to be fulfilled by companies whose core business not be the technology”, Stefano details.

The advancement of digital services, the arrival of fifth-generation mobile telephony and the potential of smart cities make up a challenging scenario for companies and governments. Choosing to have experts and cutting-edge equipment at your side, ensuring a quality and truly secure infrastructure, is one of the most important decisions to make in order not to be part of the list of those affected by the next data breach.