Spitfire Network Services Ltd (Spitfire), recognized for its contributions in voice, internet, IoT, and wide area connectivity, has unveiled a live cyber attack tracker showcasing the alarming frequency of automatic attacks on publicly visible IP addresses. Within a span of 24 hours, from April 13-14, 2026, over 71,000 attack attempts were detected on a single IP address by Spitfire's advanced monitoring system.
The cyber attack tracker, a type of security mechanism known as a honeypot, highlights the escalating threat posed by cybercriminals. This system, available globally, breaks down the nature of attacks as observed in the last day:
- Recorded 71,793 attack attempts
- An average of 1,978 attacks per hour
- Approximately 27 attacks per minute
Temporary Virtual Machines Conceal Attack Origins
Bowlby highlighted the grave risks that organizations face when exposed to these threats
The locations from which these attacks originate are identified, although those responsible often employ temporary virtual machines to conceal their true locations.
"We originally developed this tracker internally, but we felt now was the right time to make it public so people can see just how active cyber attackers really are," stated Harry Bowlby, Managing Director at Spitfire Network Services Ltd. He emphasized the constant threat automated tools pose by probing public IP addresses for vulnerabilities.
Business Implications of Cyber Attacks
Bowlby highlighted the grave risks that organizations face when exposed to these threats. Once a cyber attacker compromises a single network device, they can potentially infiltrate the entire network. "In the worst case scenario, malicious actors will make sure you are unaware of this vulnerability for as long as possible before potentially launching a ransomware attack on your network," he noted.
Such attacks can disrupt business activities and lead to significant financial losses due to data recovery, system restoration, and potentially paying ransoms.
Spitfire Network Services Ltd (Spitfire), the award-winning provider of voice, internet, IoT and wide area connectivity services, launches a live honeypot cyber attack tracker, revealing the relentless scale of automated attacks targeting publicly exposed IP addresses. In just the past 24 hours (April 13-14, 2026), Spitfire’s monitoring system recorded more than 71,000 attack attempts against a single public IP address.
The honeypot - a type of security system designed to highlight the growing threat of malicious actors - is exposed to the Internet and now accessible globally:
In the past 24 hours the honeypot recorded:
- 71,793 times in total.
- 1978 attacks per hour.
- 27 attacks every minute.
Temporary virtual machines
Attacks are broken down by location, although those orchestrating the attacks may be using temporary virtual machines to mask their exact location.
“We originally developed this tracker internally, but we felt now was the right time to make it public so people can see just how active cyber attackers really are,” said Harry Bowlby, Managing Director at Spitfire Network Services Ltd. “The volume of attacks is startling. Every organization with a public-facing IP address is constantly being probed by automated tools searching for vulnerabilities. Business leaders need to understand that exposure to the internet means being targeted.”
Restoration of damaged IT systems
“The risk to any organization could quite literally upend their business. Once an attacker has access to a single device on a network, they can use that to then infiltrate other devices in that network.”
“In the worst case scenario, malicious actors will make sure you are unaware of this vulnerability for as long as possible before potentially launching a ransomware attack on your network, which can be business critical from the interruption to business activity and the high financial cost of regeneration of lost data, the restoration of damaged IT systems, and should it be paid, the high financial cost of the ransom. This is a major reason why the secure private networking across fixed line, mobile and cloud offered by Spitfire’s One Network ® is such an industry leading solution for businesses,” added Bowlby.
