7,500 Unprotected Databases Found on Russian Servers

Analysts from Group-IB have identified around 400,000 unprotected databases that are publicly accessible. Of these, approximately 7,500 databases are hosted on Russian servers, making them easy targets for cybercriminals.

This data comes from a study by the Group-IB Attack Surface Management division, covering the period from the first quarter of 2021 to the first quarter of 2022. Experts noted that by the end of 2021, the number of open databases worldwide had already reached 308,000.

In the first quarter of 2022, this number increased by 12%. The countries with the highest number of unprotected databases are the United States, China, Germany, France, and India. Group-IB specialists warn that such negligence with databases can lead to data leaks, which may later be used to further infiltrate victims’ networks.

As for Russia, in 2021, the country hosted 5,493 unprotected databases, and over the entire analyzed period, this number reached 7,426. According to Group-IB, it takes an average of 250 days for Russian open databases to be removed from public access. Globally, this figure is better—170 days on average.