E-Business
Check Point Software 2023 Security Report Highlights Rise in Cyberattacks, Disruptive Malware
Check Point Research (CPR), the Threat Intelligence arm of Check Point® Software Technologies, a provider of cybersecurity solutions globally, has published its 2023 Security Report reflecting on a chaotic year in cybersecurity.
The report looks back on a tumultuous 2022, which saw cyberattacks reach an all-time high in response to the Russo-Ukrainian war. Education and Research remains the most targeted sector, but attacks on the healthcare sector registered a 74% increase year-on-year
According to the report, cyberattacks have risen by 38% in 2022 compared to the previous year, with an average of 1,168 weekly attacks per organization being recorded. The report also highlights the role played by smaller and more agile hackers and ransomware groups in exploiting legitimate collaboration tools used in the hybrid workplace.
From the rise of new ransomware variants to the spread of hacktivism in conflict areas in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, the 2023 Security Report uncovers the trends and behaviours that defined the year.
Key findings from the 2023 Security Report include:
Hacktivism – The boundaries between state-sponsored cyber operations and hacktivism have become increasingly blurred, as nation-states act with anonymity and impunity. Non-state affiliated hacktivist groups have become more organized and effective than ever before.
Ransomware Extortion -ransomware operations are becoming more challenging to attribute and track, and existing protection mechanisms that are based on detecting encryption activity may become less effective. The focus will instead be on data wiping and exfiltration detection.
Cloud: Third Party Threat – The number of attacks on cloud-based networks per organization has skyrocketed, with a 48% rise in 2022 compared to 2021. The shift in threat actors´ preference to scan the IP range of cloud providers highlights their interest in gaining easy access to sensitive information and critical services.
The report also offers insights specifically for CISOs, aimed at drawing attention to critical security actions for the coming year.
These insights include reducing complexity to bridge the cyber-skills gap, limiting the cost of cloud misconfigurations, and increasing the use of automation and AI to detect network risks that may go unnoticed by the human eye.
“There is no doubt we will see an increase in the volume of attacks over the next twelve months. Cloud migration has created a wider attack surface for cybercriminals, and the legitimate tools we all use will be further manipulated by cybercriminals.
“This has already been demonstrated in the case of ChatGPT, with Russian cybercriminals trying to bypass OpenAI’s API restrictions and gain access to the chatbot for malicious reasons” said Maya Horowitz, VP Research at Check Point Software. “Add to this the widening cyber skills-gap and the increasing complexity of distributed networks, and we have the perfect storm for cybercriminals.”
Ms. Horowitz adds, “To mitigate the risk of cybercrime, CISOs can begin by reading our 2023 Security Report and ensuring continued cybersecurity education for employees. Raising awareness of current threats and emerging tactics used by threat actors can help safeguard organizations from malicious threats in the future.”
The Internet Society’s six-month Fellowship Peering program continues to help make internet access affordable, dependable, and resilient. The program, according to the global charitable organisation, is targeted for fifteen professionals in the peering and interconnection sector.
“It offers a unique opportunity to build the skills, knowledge, and networks necessary to improve local Internet infrastructure and policy,” according to the site’s description.
The fellowship participants will participate in a comprehensive curriculum that includes virtual training sessions, collaborative forums, and technical and advocacy-based instruction on routing, Internet Exchange Points, and policy.
The fellowship culminates in attendance at a global peering event, which provides direct experience and networking opportunities with important voices in the Internet community.
The fellowship enhances participants’ impact in their particular nations by developing engagement with seasoned professionals and boosting regional and global collaboration. The program invites fellows to return to their communities prepared to expand interconnectivity, improve policy conditions, and make a meaningful contribution to the development of the Internet ecosystem.
Applicants must have at least three years of Internet experience and be based in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, or Asia-Pacific.
Eligibility also required proper travel documentation and availability to attend important events such as African Peering and Interconnection Forum, Latin American and Caribbean Network Operators Forum, or Peering Asia, as well as a commitment of roughly four hours per week over six months.
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called for the withdrawal of the amendment of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 because it seeks to regulate the activities of bloggers operating within the territorial boundaries of Nigeria.
The organisation in its letter urged Mr Godswill Akpabio, Senate President, and Mr Tajudeen Abbas, Speaker of the House of Representatives, to “immediately withdraw the repressive bill.”
The titled A Bill for an Act to Amend the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, to Mandate the Establishment of Physical Offices within the Territorial Boundaries of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by Social Media Platforms and for Related Matters among others intends to regulate bloggers, including by requiring all bloggers to register local offices and join recognised national association for bloggers.
Currently, the bill has passed its first and second reading in the Senate.
In the letter signed its deputy director, Mr Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP asked Mr Akpabio and Mr Abbas “to ensure that any amendment to the Nigeria Data Protection Act promotes and protects the rights of bloggers and other journalists and does not undermine the fundamental human rights of Nigerians.”
It demanded an end to “the imposition of unnecessary restrictions on the rights of Nigerians online and Internet-based content.”
In the letter dated April 12, 2025, the group said, “This bill is a blatant attempt to bring back and fast-track the obnoxious and widely rejected social media bill by the back-door.”
“If passed, the bill would also be used to ban major social media platforms—including Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, TikTok, and independent bloggers if they ‘continuously fail to establish/register and maintain physical offices in Nigeria for a period of 30 days.
“Lawmakers should not become arbiters of truth in the public and political domain. Regulating the activities of bloggers and forcing them to associate would have a significant chilling effect on freedom of expression and lead to censorship or restraint.
“Should the National Assembly and its leadership fail to withdraw the bill to regulate the activities of bloggers, and should any such bill be assented to by President Bola Tinubu, SERAP would consider appropriate legal action to challenge the legality of any such law and ensure it is never implemented in the public interest,” the organisation warned.
National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has issued a public advisory warning Nigerians about a fraudulent website impersonating the Google Play Store.
Mrs Hadiza Umar, head of Corporate Affairs and External Relations at NITDA, made this known on Friday in Abuja.
Umar stated that the fake website was distributing a new malware strain known as the Play Praetor Trojan.
“Cybercriminals are using fraudulent websites designed to mimic the Google Play Store to lure victims into downloading malicious applications,” she said.
She explained that the fake Play Store links were being circulated through various social engineering tactics, including phishing emails, malicious advertisements, and SMS messages.
According to Umar, once the fake application is installed, the Play Praetor Trojan gives attackers unauthorised access to the victim’s device.
“This access can lead to data theft, credential harvesting, financial fraud, remote control of the device, and further malware deployment,” she warned.
She urged the public to download apps only from the official Google Play Store or other trusted sources.
Umar also advised users to verify app developers, read reviews before installation, regularly update their devices and apps to patch vulnerabilities, and use reputable mobile security solutions to detect and block threats.
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