Brute‑force attacks rose sharply in March 2026, according to Barracuda Managed XDR.
Barracuda’s latest Threat Radar reports a clear increase in brute‑force attacks targeting network devices during the first quarter of 2026. Between January and March 2026, analysts recorded a significant uptick in confirmed authentication attempts directed at devices such as SonicWall and FortiGate—and roughly 88 percent of that traffic was traced to the Middle East.
A brute‑force attack uses automated tools to repeatedly guess login credentials until a correct combination is found or the attempts are blocked. From February to March, these attacks accounted for 56 percent of all confirmed incidents handled by the security service Barracuda Managed XDR.
The attacks were heavily concentrated geographically in the Middle East, representing about 88 percent of the observed traffic. Most attempts failed and were stopped—either by security controls or because attackers submitted invalid credentials.
However, the report warns that repeated and persistent attempts against network devices increase the risk of a breach, since a single weak password or a misconfiguration can be enough for attackers to succeed in some cases.
Organizations become more vulnerable if they lack strong access and authentication controls—such as multi‑factor authentication—use weak or reused passwords, or fail to monitor repeated failed login attempts.
In Threat Radar, Barracuda also highlights risks related to old or inactive accounts that have not been removed, stressing the importance of strong passwords, multi‑factor authentication, and restricted administrative access.
Threat Radar also describes how Qilin ransomware can escalate very quickly after malware is activated. The report furthermore notes an increase in so‑called ClickFix attacks targeting organizations. These attacks often begin with a phishing email that leverages social engineering to trick the recipient into clicking a link or copying and pasting text to “fix” a supposed issue; instead, a malicious command or file executes.
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What does this mean for Swedish companies?
The increase in brute‑force attacks shows that Swedish companies must strengthen authentication methods and implement MFA to reduce the risk of breaches.
What does this mean for MSPs in the Nordics?
MSPs need to offer advanced monitoring, XDR services, and proactive threat detection to protect customers’ network infrastructure from automated attacks.
Risks and opportunities
Risks include higher breach potential due to weak passwords and inadequate monitoring. Opportunities lie in adopting zero‑trust models and strengthening an organization’s overall security architecture.