According to a report from SonicWall, global malware volume has increased 2% year-over-year, but it was the jump in IoT malware (+87%) and crypto-jacking (+43%) that offset the decline of overall global ransomware volume (-21%), that signified a strategic shift. Threat actors have embraced slower and more stealthy approaches to achieve financially motivated cyberattacks. “Cyberattacks are an ever-present danger for companies of all sizes, putting their operations and reputation on the line,” said SonicWall Threat Detection and Response Strategist Immanuel Chavoya. “It is crucial for organizations to understand attackers’ tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), and commit to threat-informed cybersecurity strategies to defend and recover successfully from business-disrupting events. This includes stopping sophisticated ransomware attacks as well as defending emerging threat vectors, including IoT and crypto-jacking,” Chavoya added. In addition to cyberattacks becoming more sophisticated and covert, threat actors are showing clear preferences for certain techniques, with notable shifts toward weak IoT devices, crypto-jacking, and potentially soft targets like schools and hospitals. Prominent ransomware attacks impacted enterprises, governments, airlines, hospitals, hotels, and individuals, causing widespread system downtime, economic loss, and reputational damage. Following global trends, several industries faced large year-over-year increases in ransomware volume, including education (+275%), finance (+41%), and healthcare (+8%).