2020 was unprecedented in nearly every way, and cyberattacks were no exception. The CrowdStrike 2021 Global Threat Report from cloud-native cybersecurity company CrowdStrike states this was “perhaps the foremost active year in memory.” For enterprises specifically, the report uncovers rising threats to observe within the coming year. Malicious actors furthered their shift toward attacks on high-value targets like enterprises, referred to as “big game hunting,” which has become increasingly popular in recent years due to the more lucrative payday potential. Malicious actors also developed new tools and procedures and formed alliances to bolster the strength and reach of their attacks. Most importantly , they increasingly integrated blackmail and extortion techniques into ransomware operations.
Malicious actors have escalated their efforts over the last 18 months, CrowdStrike senior VP Adam Meyers told VentureBeat. They need “to steal the maximum amount data as they will get their hands on. Then they’ll say ‘If you don’t pay us, we’re getting to release all this sensitive data,’ which could have reputational or maybe regulatory impact.” Cyber criminals also exploited the COVID-19 pandemic, preying on fears, targeting the health sector, and taking advantage of the abrupt switch to remote work. consistent with the report, 71 percent of cybersecurity experts surveyed said they’re more worried about ransomware attacks as a results of COVID-19. Additionally, 2020 saw what’s perhaps the foremost sophisticated and far-reaching supply-chain attack in history.
The best defense for enterprises is to be told of the evolving threats, act quickly within the event of an attack, and be proactive with advanced security solutions. “You need to have a next-gen solution. Antivirus is dead,” Meyers said. The findings within the 40-page report, which tracks and analyzes the activity of the world’s major cyber adversaries, were compiled using machine learning, firsthand observations from the company’s frontline cyber analysts, and insights from crowd sourced threat measurement, the corporate said. Here are the trends, threats, and security best practices for targeted enterprise, consistent with the report.
The health care sector faces significant security threats during a typical year, and therefore the stakes associated with the pandemic only brought increased attention, particularly to pharmaceutical companies, biomedical research companies, and government entities. While early objectives for targeted intrusion actors may have included acquiring information on infection rates or country-level responses, the aim quickly shifted to vaccine development. Malicious actors based in China, North Korea , and Russia all targeted vaccine research. In total, a minimum of 104 health care organizations were infected with ransomware in 2020.