The average number of cyber-attacks on organisations in Thailand was almost double the average rate globally and slightly higher than the average within Southeast Asia over the past six months, according to Check Point Research.
Thai organisations were attacked 2,388 times per week on average during the last six months, compared with 2,375 attacks per week in Southeast Asia.
It was found that 72% of the malicious files in Thailand were delivered via email in the last 30 days. The most common vulnerability exploit type in Thailand was the remote code execution, impacting 61% of organisations.
The list of the most common forms of malware in Thailand included Banking Trojan (Zeus), Cryptominer (XMRig) and Info-stealer (Qbot).
Meanwhile, overall attacks globally reached the highest level over the past two years, with the average number of attacks per organisation per week standing at 1,258.
In the second quarter of 2023, there was an 8% increase in the global average of weekly attacks compared to the same period last year.
According to the Check Point Research report, while the disruptive impact of the Russia-Ukrainian conflict on the cyber landscape has reduced in relative terms over recent months, the threat landscape has returned to a state of “normality”.
This new normal is characterised by an increase in cyber-attacks due to the use of new evasive tactics, frequent hacktivism-based attacks, and a daily barrage of ransomware targeting numerous organisations.
Despite the waning effect of the conflict on the cyberthreat landscape, the persistence of these threats highlights the ongoing need for heightened vigilance and robust cybersecurity measures to counteract the relentless and evolving nature of cyber-attacks.
In recent months, Check Point Research has reported the unravelling of a China-based advanced persistent threat which targeted governmental entities with hidden malware that was spotted behind legitimate looking apps, a new version of Chinese espionage that was propagated through USB devices and malicious firmware implants discovered on internet routers.
During the second quarter of 2023, the global education/research sector experienced the highest number of attacks, with an average of 2,179 attacks per organisation per week, marking a 6% decrease from the same period last year.
The government/military sector was the second-most attacked, with an average of 1,772 attacks per week, which represents a 9% increase from the corresponding period last year.
The healthcare sector followed closely behind, with an average of 1,744 attacks per week, reflecting a significant year-on-year increase of 30%.
During the second quarter of 2023, Africa experienced the highest average number of weekly cyber-attacks per organisation, with an average of 2,164 attacks. This signifies a significant year-on-year increase of 23% compared to the same period in 2022.
The Asia-Pacific region also witnessed a 22% year-on-year increase in the average number of weekly attacks per organisation, reaching an average of 2,046 attacks.
In the second quarter of 2023, one out of every 44 organisations worldwide experienced a ransomware attack, representing a year-on-year decrease of 9%. Asia-Pacific and Europe have seen a significant year-on-year rise in ransomware attacks per organisation, with a 29% and 21% rise, respectively. The North American region follows with a 15% year-on-year increase.
