Spitfire Network Services Ltd (Spitfire) has launched a live cyber attack tracker, designed to demonstrate the extensive scale of automated cyber threats targeting publicly accessible IP addresses.
Between April 13-14, 2026, this innovative honeypot system has revealed over 71,000 attack attempts on a single public IP address, highlighting the significant risk faced by organisations.
Breakdown of cyber attack data
The tracker details that within the last 24 hours, the honeypot documented 71,793 attempts, averaging 1,978 attacks per hour, which equates to 27 attempts every minute. These statistics underline the persistent nature of threats in the digital landscape. Specific attack origins are analysed, although attackers often employ temporary virtual machines to obscure their true locations.
Public awareness and organisational risk
Bowlby further warned of the devastating impact cyber breaches can have on businesses
"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. Bowlby emphasised the ceaseless probing by automated tools on any public-facing IP, urging business leaders to recognise the implications of online exposure.
Bowlby further warned of the devastating impact cyber breaches can have on businesses. "The risk to any organisation 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," he explained.
Malicious actors may remain undetected until they decide to initiate a ransomware attack, leading to major disruptions in business operations and significant financial losses. The costs involved include data recovery, IT system restoration, and potentially paying the ransom. These factors underscore the importance of secure networking solutions, such as those offered by Spitfire.
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 organisation 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 organisation 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.
