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RDP attacks surged by 330% in the US amid pandemic

According to data extracted and analyzed by Atlas VPN, remote desktop protocol (RDP) attacks rocketed by 330% amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The start of the RDP attack increase correlates almost entirely with the start of lockdowns. From March 10, 2020, RDP brute-force attacks spiked in practically all selected countries.

In the US, from March 10, 2020, until April 15, 2020, hackers carried out 32,299,662 remote desktop brute-force attacks. On average, throughout this period, there were 872,964 attacks daily.

Comparing the period of February 9 – March 9, 2020, to March 10 – April 10, 2020, the attacks in the US jumped by 330%

Rachel Welsh, COO of Atlas VPN, shares her thoughts on why RDP attacks sky-rocketed during the pandemic:

“Due to lockdowns, many office-workers gained remote access to corporate windows workstations or servers. Subsequently, cybercriminals took advantage of sometimes inadequately protected networks and permission given in a hurry.

Over 148 million RDP attacks during the pandemic

From March 10, 2020, until April 15, 2020, hackers attacked users in the US, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Russia, and China a total of over 148 million times combined.

During this period, hackers carried out 32,299,662 remote desktop brute-force attacks on individuals and organizations in the US. Meaning, the US is the most attacked country on the list. On average, there were 872,964 attacks daily in the US.

In Spain, throughout March 10-April 15, 2020, hackers attacked workstations and corporate servers 25,510,199 times. On average, hackers attacked users in Spain 689,465 times per day.

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