Analysis of CIRA Canadian Shield threat blocker shows higher-than-average volume of phishing, malware, and botnet blocks in Q3 2021
As Canadians continue to rely on the internet more than ever, new data from CIRA suggests they are facing an increased number of online threats including phishing scams and ransomware attacks. Earlier today, the national not-for-profit released its first-ever CIRA Canadian Shield Insights report, which analyzed millions of blocked cyber threats generated by the CIRA Canadian Shield service between October 2020 and September 2021.
The report found that total volume of blocked cyber attacks recorded between July and September 2021 (Q3) was 31.7 per cent higher than previous quarters. It also identified a steady increase in exposure to sites facilitating phishing attacks–scams where attackers use various spoofing techniques to steal user data–and attributed a significant spike in blocked threats during the month of July to the notorious REvil ransomware. The report comes on the heels of a new survey suggesting that the majority of organizations struck with ransomware simply pay the demands.
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“Our data suggests that Canadian households are facing a significantly increased volume of cyber threats,” said Byron Holland, CIRA president and CEO. “Hackers never let a good crisis go to waste, and the pandemic has been no exception. At CIRA, we’re proud of the role we play in promoting trust and protecting Canadians online. While over 2.2 million daily users rely on our free Canadian Shield service to protect their privacy and defend against cyber attacks, a majority of households across the country remain unprotected. Protecting your family from cyber attacks should be as common as locking the front door at night.”
Key Findings
- The total volume of cyber threats blocked between July and September 2021 (Q3) was 31.7 per cent higher than the average volume recorded in the previous quarters.
- In Q3 the average number of phishing blocks recorded nearly doubled (93.8 per cent increase over previous quarters), with July seeing the highest monthly total with over 1.5 million blocks recorded.
- CIRA Canadian Shield blocked 2.2 million DNS requests associated with 15 known botnets in Q3. The high volume of blocks was largely attributed to the REvil ransomware.
- The report found an increased volume of botnet blocks around midnight Eastern Time (ET), with the highest average number of blocks occurring between 12:00 am and 1:00 am.
- The U.S. and Hong Kong are the most common hosting locations for malicious domains blocked by Canadian Shield.
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