- Hackers performing attacks faster than ever, reporting claims
- Reliable research says encryption of exfiltrated data becomes less likely
- Phishing remains the top attack vector
In addition to increasing businesses around the world, the adoption of AI from security teams and hackers has also changed the cybercrime landscape, with new research from Reliaquest claiming cyber criminals, is now faster than ever with violation systems, with the average time between the first access and lateral movement now only 48 minutes.
Interestingly, the report found that hackers are smaller and less and less on encryptions, with 80% of all violations involving data fulfillment, but only 20% including encryption, and many attackers are, the report encryption entirely confirms, which focuses exclusively on data theft, “a faster, more profitable approach,” the report confirms.
This suggests that companies may be less likely to pay ransom, and hackers find greater success in simply selling the stolen data instead of making demands.
Old habits die hard
This may not be surprising, since fewer than half of ransomware events result in payment, and of those who pay ransom, only about 7% restore their information – so there is not much incentive on both sides.
The research also shows phishing is again the top initial access technique, and 30% of these attacks include credentials. Social Engineering -Attacks also develops with ‘voice phishing’ now behind 14% of violations -especially targeting the manufacturing sector, probably due to the ‘frequent IT interactions and lenient auxiliary policies’ needed to deal with the high amounts of support requests.
But the conclusions also mean that security teams will have to consider their priorities in the coming months, and by 2025, companies will have to strengthen their defense to avoid any expensive downtime.
“Focus can no longer only be on recovering encrypted systems – strategies must also tackle data protection protection, manage reputation risks and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements,” the report adds.
“To prepare, CISOs must implement defense to detect and prevent exfiltration trials while developing Playbooks that prioritize business continuity and resilience to these developing ransomware tactics.”
