Check Point Research Announces Major Cyber Threats in March 2026: Attacks on Japan Surge 42% Year-Over-Year
Check Point Research released its March 2026 cyber threat report. While global attacks declined slightly by 5%, attacks against Japanese organizations skyrocketed by 42% YoY. Education remains the top target globally, and the travel sector saw a 30% increase ahead of the tourist season.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 10, 2026 at 21:30
- 🔍 Collected: April 11, 2026 at 00:24 (2h 54m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 20, 2026 at 04:13 (219h 49m after Collected)
Check Point Research (CPR), the threat intelligence arm of Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHKP, hereinafter "Check Point"), a global leader and pioneer in cyber security solutions, has published its global threat intelligence analysis for March 2026.
In March 2026, organizations worldwide experienced an average of 1,995 cyberattacks per week. This is a slight decrease of 5% compared to March 2025. This decline does not indicate a reduction in attackers' capabilities, but rather suggests a short-term stabilization. This reflects a situation where the focus of threat activity is constantly shifting among various targets and methods as attackers reorganize their attack campaigns, test new intrusion vectors, and exploit the expanding digital footprints of modern organizations.
Amidst this, Japan experienced an average of 1,723 attacks per organization per week in March 2026, representing a 42% increase year-over-year. Although this number of attacks ranks 8th among APAC countries, the growth rate was the highest in the region, making it one of the countries globally where attacks surged the most during this period.
Omer Dembinsky, Data Research Manager at CPR, stated:
"While the March findings point to a brief pause, attackers haven't backed down; they're simply shifting gears. As Generative AI becomes a commonplace tool in the workplace and ransomware groups maintain a steady pace of activity, organizations must prepare for a future where risks are constantly and rapidly changing, and increasingly automated. Organizations can achieve the highest resilience by taking a systematic approach to threat prevention. This requires a system that reduces exposure, enforces governance, and applies AI-driven protection capable of stopping threats before they spread."
Continued pressure on Education, Government, and Telecom sectors, while attacks on the Travel sector surge
In March 2026, the "Education/Research" sector continued to be the most targeted, experiencing an average of 4,632 cyberattacks per organization per week (down 6% year-over-year). Following in second place was the "Government/Military" sector with an average of 2,582 attacks per week (down 12% year-over-year), and the "Telecom" industry took third place with an average of 2,554 attacks per week (down 10% year-over-year).
Notably, the "Hospitality/Travel/Entertainment" sector recorded a 30% increase year-over-year. This aligns with the rising travel demand from spring to summer. Such seasonal shifts lead to an expanded attack surface due to increased digital transactions, higher reliance on third parties, and an accelerated pace of operations. This alignment of conditions creates an environment easily exploited by cybercriminals.
Attacks increase in Latin America, while other regions show a downward trend
In the regional analysis, Latin America recorded the highest number of attacks, with an average of 3,054 attacks per organization per week (up 9% year-over-year). In second place was A
In March 2026, organizations worldwide experienced an average of 1,995 cyberattacks per week. This is a slight decrease of 5% compared to March 2025. This decline does not indicate a reduction in attackers' capabilities, but rather suggests a short-term stabilization. This reflects a situation where the focus of threat activity is constantly shifting among various targets and methods as attackers reorganize their attack campaigns, test new intrusion vectors, and exploit the expanding digital footprints of modern organizations.
Amidst this, Japan experienced an average of 1,723 attacks per organization per week in March 2026, representing a 42% increase year-over-year. Although this number of attacks ranks 8th among APAC countries, the growth rate was the highest in the region, making it one of the countries globally where attacks surged the most during this period.
Omer Dembinsky, Data Research Manager at CPR, stated:
"While the March findings point to a brief pause, attackers haven't backed down; they're simply shifting gears. As Generative AI becomes a commonplace tool in the workplace and ransomware groups maintain a steady pace of activity, organizations must prepare for a future where risks are constantly and rapidly changing, and increasingly automated. Organizations can achieve the highest resilience by taking a systematic approach to threat prevention. This requires a system that reduces exposure, enforces governance, and applies AI-driven protection capable of stopping threats before they spread."
Continued pressure on Education, Government, and Telecom sectors, while attacks on the Travel sector surge
In March 2026, the "Education/Research" sector continued to be the most targeted, experiencing an average of 4,632 cyberattacks per organization per week (down 6% year-over-year). Following in second place was the "Government/Military" sector with an average of 2,582 attacks per week (down 12% year-over-year), and the "Telecom" industry took third place with an average of 2,554 attacks per week (down 10% year-over-year).
Notably, the "Hospitality/Travel/Entertainment" sector recorded a 30% increase year-over-year. This aligns with the rising travel demand from spring to summer. Such seasonal shifts lead to an expanded attack surface due to increased digital transactions, higher reliance on third parties, and an accelerated pace of operations. This alignment of conditions creates an environment easily exploited by cybercriminals.
Attacks increase in Latin America, while other regions show a downward trend
In the regional analysis, Latin America recorded the highest number of attacks, with an average of 3,054 attacks per organization per week (up 9% year-over-year). In second place was A