Security News > 2023 > February > Defenders on high alert as backdoor attacks become more common

Although ransomware's share of incidents declined only slightly from 2021 to 2022, defenders were more successful detecting and preventing ransomware, according to IBM. Despite this, attackers continued to innovate with the report showing the average time to complete a ransomware attack dropped from 2 months down to less than 4 days.

"The shift towards detection and response has allowed defenders to disrupt adversaries earlier in the attack chain - tempering ransomware's progression in the short term," said Charles Henderson, Head of IBM Security X-Force.

"But it's only a matter of time before today's backdoor problem becomes tomorrow's ransomware crisis. Attackers always find new ways to evade detection. Good defense is no longer enough. To break free from the never-ending rat race with attackers, businesses must drive a proactive, threat-driven security strategy."

The most common impact from cyberattacks in 2022 was extortion, which was primarily achieved through ransomware or business email compromise attacks.

North American energy organizations accounted for 46% of all energy attacks observed last year, a 25% increase from 2021 levels.

Accounting for nearly one-third of all attacks that X-Force responded to in 2022, Asia saw more cyberattacks than any other region.

News URL

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/02/24/ibm-x-force-threat-intelligence-index-report-2023/