Financial services is the most targeted sector for malware attacks, being subject to 18% of all attacks globally, according to the 2015 Global Threat Intelligence Report from risk management company NTT Com Security.
The report is based on analysis of more than six billion security attacks in 2014.
Interestingly, however, public-sector organisations are the number one target for malware attacks in the UK – they attracted nearly 40% of all attacks.
This was three times more than the next sector, insurance (13%), and nearly five times more than the media and finance sectors (both 9%).
According to the report, attacks against business and professional services organisations saw a sharp rise this year from 9% to 15% globally.
Typically, these businesses are seen as being much softer than other targets, but due to their connection and relationship with much larger organisations, they are high-value targets for attackers. In the UK, this sector represented 6% of all malware attacks.
Stuart Reed, senior director, global product marketing at NTT Com Security, said: “The fact that public-sector figures are so high compared to other sectors in the UK is due largely to the value of the data that many of these organisations have, which makes them attractive and highly prized targets for malware attacks.”
He added: “It’s also interesting that we have seen some campaigns specifically targeting business and professional services. It’s possible that companies in this sector may not have the equivalent security resources and skills in-house that many other larger companies do, yet they potentially yield high value for attackers as both an end target and a gateway target to strategic partners.”