Security News > 2023 > January > Attackers abuse business-critical cloud apps to deliver malware

Over 400 distinct cloud applications delivered malware in 2022, nearly triple the amount seen in the prior year, and 30% of all cloud malware downloads in 2022 originated from Microsoft OneDrive, according to Netskope.

"Attackers are increasingly abusing business-critical cloud apps to deliver malware by bypassing inadequate security controls," said Ray Canzanese, Threat Research Director, Netskope Threat Labs.

The drastic increase in active cloud users across a record number of cloud applications led to a sizable increase in cloud malware downloads in 2022 from 2021, after remaining close to flat in 2021 compared to 2020.

Nearly a third of all cloud malware downloads originated from Microsoft OneDrive, with Weebly and GitHub coming in the next closest among cloud apps at 8.6% and 7.6%, respectively.

Industries have increased their reliance on cloud applications and cloud infrastructure to support business operations over the last several years-a trend further accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and a worldwide shift toward hybrid work.

Deploy multi-layered, inline threat protection for all cloud and web traffic to block inbound malware and outbound malware communications.

News URL

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/01/11/cloud-applications-malware/