Akamai Reports 31% Rise in Web Application Attacks in Q4

U.S.-based web application attacks increased 31 percent in Q4 from the year-ago quarter, and perpetrators continue to focus on industries with high-value data, Akamai reported Tuesday. The report showed the retail industry was the hardest hit from web application threats, with 38 percent of attacks. Media and entertainment had 18 percent, technology 11, the public sector had 4.4 percent. Senior Editor Martin McKeay said attackers increasingly seek more direct ways for financial gain, such as ransomware. Worldwide web application attacks increased 10 percent, with a 10 percent increase in SQLi attacks globally. “Of the 17 billion login requests tracked through the Akamai platform in November and December, almost half (43 percent) were used for credential abuse,” the report said.