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| Here are the most important forecasts for expected digital threats in 2023 |
Kaspersky Security Services researchers have released a report with their predictions of common digital threats through 2023, saying that organizations, large corporations and government agencies should prepare for it. Notable threats to businesses include cybercriminals using the media to extort companies, reporting suspected data breaches, and gaining access to previously compromised corporate networks based on data exposed on the dark web. Other threats include the malware-as-a-service (MaaS) model and the increase in attacks carried out across cloud environments. The report is part of Kaspersky Security Bulletins, an annual series of forecasts and analyzes of major changes in the digital security landscape.
Frequent attacks by cybercriminals harm individuals and organizations and can threaten entire countries, and their harm goes beyond money. Regular media coverage of data breaches, thefts, and general availability on the dark web poses a threat to an organization's privacy and reputation. Kaspersky security experts, who help organizations strengthen existing security systems and prepare for new threats, reviewed this year's threats to large organizations and governments and presented their findings in the Kaspersky Security Bulletin.
Ransomware: Hackers publish a message containing a countdown to data leaks
The actors behind ransomware attacks have been blogging about successful hacks for organizations, and as these posts increase in 2022, they are becoming more active. Peak volume exceeds 500 posts per month, and this is repeated several times between late 2022 and 2021 and the first half of 2022. This compares to 200-300 posts per month in early 2021. Extortion activity also increased at the end of last year. The Kaspersky Digital Footprint Intelligence module for tracking companies' digital presence tracked about 400 and 500 posts in September and November, respectively.
Growing number of blog articles about ransomware in 2021 and 2022
Cybercriminals used to communicate directly with victims, but instead of demanding a ransom through private communications, they immediately started blogging about security vulnerabilities and setting up a countdown to the release of the leaked data. Since this method favors criminals, this trend of attacks is expected to continue in 2023, regardless of whether victims pay the ransom or not. Data that is hacked or stolen is often auctioned off, sometimes for more than the ransom demanded by victims.
News about fake leaks to support cybercriminals
Blackmail posts have attracted media attention, which could be exploited by low-level gangs in 2023 claiming to have hacked an organization. Media coverage of a data breach can harm a business, whether or not the breach occurred. Therefore, to protect their reputations, organizations should acknowledge the existence of such reports as soon as they are made public and initiate response procedures similar to those used in information security incidents.
No more personal data and company emails leaks
Experts predict that the trend of personal data breaches will continue in 2023. This trend will threaten the digital security of companies, even if it directly affects privacy, as individuals often use professional email addresses to sign up for potentially exposed external websites and services. data breach incident. Sensitive information such as email addresses, when released, catches the attention of cybercriminals and fuels discussions on the dark web about potential attacks against organizations, not to mention the potential for this data to be used for social phishing.To use engineering principles.
Dark web access to malware as a service, cloud attacks, and data leaks
Experts also expect an increase in ransomware attacks due to the increasing use of destructive tools in the malware-as-a-service model. Attacks are becoming more sophisticated, which means that automated systems alone will not provide complete security. Cloud technology has also become a common attack vector as cloud transformation poses increasing risks to digital security. In addition, by 2023, cybercriminals will increasingly use the dark web to obtain credentials from previously compromised organizations.
Kaspersky Security Services analyst Anna Pavlovskaya acknowledges the rapidly changing threat landscape that forces organizations to quickly adapt and points to the need to monitor a company or government agency's online digital presence to protect against common threats. It is about always being prepared to investigate and respond to incidents, as sometimes attackers cannot be stopped before they enter the perimeter of the organisation, but it is always about preventing attacks and limiting their potential impact, whatever the concern.
Visit Securelist.com to read the full Enterprise Security Threats Report 2023. The report is part of Kaspersky Security Bulletins, an annual forecast and analysis of major changes in the digital security landscape. More publications can be found in this newsletter.
Kaspersky researchers recommend that companies take the following measures to protect against the growing threat:
- Always keep the software on all devices in use up to date to prevent attackers from entering the network through software vulnerabilities. New patches should be installed as soon as they become available to prevent malicious actors from exploiting them.
- Use the latest threat intelligence to stay up to date on malicious actors' tactics, tactics, and actions.
- Leverage Digital Footprint Intelligence technology to help security analysts screen attackers for corporate assets that have access to them, quickly identify potential attack vectors at their disposal, and adjust protection accordingly.
- In the event of an incident, Kaspersky Incident Response helps to respond, mitigate the consequences, identify compromised nodes and protect the infrastructure from similar attacks in the future.