SQA email attacks utilising the Omicron variant hit a record 3.5 million high in December 2021, according to new figures.

Data obtained by think tank Parliament Street established the number of malicious emails blocked by the SQA, between November 2021 to January 24th, 2022, surged last year.

According to the figures, the SQA blocked a massive 3,436,744 email attacks in December alone, a massive increase on the 252,317 blocked in November 2021.

In January 2022, the number of attacks reduced significantly down to 80,727, the data showed.

Commenting on the research, Tim Sadler, CEO and Co-Founder, Tessian, said: “Threat actors were quick to capitalise on the Omicron variant in their phishing campaigns, using the new variant as a lure and preying on levels of uncertainty to trick people into complying with their malicious requests.

“Targeting employees during December was yet another opportunistic tactic, as cybercriminals were likely hoping their targets would be more distracted than usual during the busy holiday season.”

Sadler said that organisations should have security solutions in place, given the “sheer scale of email threats today”.

He added: “Sophisticated phishing attacks can fool even the most ‘tech-savvy’ users, and it just takes one distracted employee to fall for a scam. Equip them with the tools and knowledge they need to help minimise the risk.”

Spam attacks were the most blocked threat by the SQA, according to Parliament Street analysts, with more than 3.7m over the three month period accounting for more than 99% of threats faced.

Research also found that there were 20,829 phishing attacks blocked, and 913 malware attacks over the period.

The surge of spam attacks in December coincided with an increase in Covid-related scams because of the Omicron variant, as well as holiday-related scams in the run up to Christmas.

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Chris Ross, SVP Sales International for Barracuda Networks, added: “Educational bodies, such as the Scottish Qualifications Authority, handle vast amounts of sensitive and confidential data, making them a lucrative target for cyberattacks.

“This has especially been the case since the transition to more remote based learning, catalysed by the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Previous research carried out by Barracuda networks found a 521% surge in Covid test-related phishing attacks since December 2021. Ross added that staff training is essential for organisations moving forward.

“Training staff on the threat of phishing attacks is crucial to raising awareness and equipping them with the tools to identify and prevent threats if they do break through,” Ross said.

“On a technical level, utilising artificial intelligence solutions in email protection can help to recognise attacks designed to navigate around spam filters and other basic gateways, stopping threats before they can cause serious data breaches,” he concluded.

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