Cybercriminals Have Changed Tactics

Cybercriminals can now target more organizations by exploiting publicly exposed vulnerabilities to a greater extent than before. The cybersecurity company Truesec warns that cyber attacks are rapidly executed, and that threat actors can gain complete control of an organization's network in less than 24 hours.

Truesec's annual Threat Intelligence Report for 2022 shows a sharp increase in the number of cyber attacks against organizations in Scandinavia and worldwide. Cybercriminals are acting faster and using constantly evolving tactics to achieve their goals. The speed of the attacks, from the initial foothold to when the attackers reach their goal, has increased. In less than 24 hours after the initial breach, threat actors can obtain full administrative privileges, which means complete control over the victim's network and IT infrastructure.

Some findings from the analysis of the cyber threat landscape:

• Ransomware remains the most significant and serious threat to medium and large companies. The number of ransomware attacks in 2021 increased by 26% compared to the previous year.
• The increase in cyber attacks is due to the fact threat actors are now using automated tools that enable quicker attacks. Additionally, they recruit less-skilled affiliates who only need to follow ready-made instruction manuals to act.
• Most intrusions 2021 (40%) began with threat actors exploiting known vulnerabilities in public-facing systems. Cybercriminals can quickly leverage such exploits in mass attacks against unpatched systems.

"There are important immediate steps an organization can take to reduce the risk of cyber breach and minimize its impact. Therefore, in our report, we offer advice and recommendations that organizations can immediately act on to address cybersecurity challenges," says Mattias Wåhlén, Threat Intelligence Lead at Truesec.

About Truesec’s “Threat Intelligence Report 2022”

Truesec's annual Threat Intelligence Report is based on proprietary sources and experience from actual incidents and prevented cyber breaches combined with information from external sources, including partners and law enforcement agencies. All handled cyber threats and data breaches in 2021 have been analyzed to determine the root causes, what could have prevented the intrusions, and what could have minimized the effects.