Cybersecurity firm ESET shared the ESET 2022 D2 Threat Report, which covers the period from May to August 2022, with the public. According to the data in the report, Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) attacks, which reached a high speed during the Covid period, decreased while phishing attacks increased sixfold.

The quarterly report, published by ESET, reveals the prominent cyber threats around the world. According to the report from ESET researchers, the attack attempt, called RDP, decreased by 89 percent, as the impact of the Covid-induced pandemic waned and workers began to return to offices. It is also stated that the security measures taken have an influence on this. Also during this period, as political ransomware attacks declined, cybercriminals were found to be primarily targeted by the US, China, and Israel.

Despite declining numbers, Russian IP addresses continued to be responsible for most RDP attacks. ESET Senior Research Officer Roman Kováč explains: “During the first four months of 2022, Russia was the country most targeted by ransomware, and some attacks were politically or ideologically related to the war. However, the ESET 2022 D2 Threat Report shows that this wave of hacking subsided in the second quarter, with ransomware operators turning their attention to the US, China and Israel.”

The report also includes threats that primarily affect home users. ESET phishing streams saw a sixfold increase in post-themed phishing scams. Hackers often sent victims false DHL and USPS requests to verify their shipping address. Kováč explains: “With regard to threats that directly affect virtual and physical currencies, a web skimmer known as Magecart remains the biggest threat to online shoppers looking to hijack their credit card information. There is also a double increase in cryptocurrency-themed phishing scams and the number of crypto thefts is on the rise.”