Report: Ransomware and malware attacks in Ireland fell in 2018, as hackers turned to phishing and crypto mining

The number of ransomware and malware attacks in Ireland fell last year, but hackers are now turning to phishing and crypto-mining, the Irish Times reported.

Microsoft's Security Intelligence Report released in February this year showed that malware attacks globally had fallen by 60% overall, with Ireland being one of the countries with the lowest incident rates.

In terms of malware, Ireland had a monthly encounter rate of 1.26%, the lowest figure reported.

Des Ryan, Microsoft Ireland solutions director, said: “We are seeing a significant change in the behaviour of criminal hackers who want access to victims’ computers and organisations’ networks to access data but also use their computing power to mine cryptocurrency… Microsoft analysts predict that phishing will remain a problem for the foreseeable future.”

Lack of security training, use of personal devices with work-related data and lax practices around passwords are all security risks facing public and private sector organizations, according to Microsoft research.