Cloudflare’s recent report unveils that 7% of global internet traffic is malicious, emphasizing the ongoing cybersecurity challenges in the digital world. The report provides an in-depth analysis of various cyber threats and the significant role of bots in malicious activities.

Key findings from Cloudflare’s report include:

1. Malicious Traffic: 7% of all internet traffic is classified as malicious, highlighting the persistent threat from cybercriminals.
2. Bot Traffic: Nearly 40% of the internet’s traffic is generated by bots, with a considerable portion being malicious. These bots engage in activities such as data scraping, executing automated attacks, and mimicking human behavior to evade detection.
3. DDoS Attacks: Additionally, DDoS attacks, one of the most common web application attacks, made up 37.1% of all the app-layer traffic the company mitigated. Cloudflare noticed a 466% increase in DDoS attacks targeting Sweden following its admission to the NATO alliance on March 7, 2024. This trend resembled the DDoS pattern observed after Finland’s NATO acceptance in 2023. In the first quarter of 2024, Cloudflare blocked 4.5 million unique DDoS attacks, which is almost one-third of the total attacks they mitigated in the previous year.
4. Phishing and Malware: The report also notes an increase in phishing scams and sophisticated malware attacks. Phishing remains a common tactic used by cybercriminals to trick users into revealing sensitive information, while malware infiltrates systems to steal data and cause extensive damage.

The report highlights the increasing prevalence of shadow APIs. The research revealed a 33% disparity in API endpoints identified by customers compared to those discovered through machine learning. Additionally, API traffic now makes up 58% of the dynamic Internet traffic processed by Cloudflare. It’s clear to see that there’s a potential cybersecurity risk waiting to happen.

Start off your week with tech news recap and trending conversations in your inbox

Enter valid email-id

Subscribe

I prefer it on Telegram

The report also emphasizes the critical role of proactive cybersecurity measures in mitigating risks. As internet traffic continues to grow, so does the potential for malicious activity, making it imperative for users to take steps to protect themselves and their data.

Feature Photo by GuerrillaBuzz on Unsplash