Security News > 2023 > March > Exfiltration malware takes center stage in cybersecurity concerns

While massive public data breaches rightfully raise alarms, the spike in malware designed to exfiltrate data directly from devices and browsers is a key contributor to continued user exposure, according to SpyCloud.

The 2023 report identified over 22 million unique devices infected by malware last year.

Of the 721.5 million exposed credentials recovered by SpyCloud, roughly 50% came from botnets, tools commonly used to deploy highly accurate information-stealing malware.

"The pervasive use of infostealers is a dangerous trend because these attacks open the door for bad actors like Initial Access Brokers, who sell malware logs containing accurate authentication data to ransomware syndicates and other criminals," said Trevor Hilligoss, Director of Security Research at SpyCloud.

SpyCloud researchers recaptured millions of credentials harvested from popular third-party business applications exposed to malware in 2022.

If these credentials are not properly remediated and remain active, they will continue to pose an ongoing threat for organizations, even after the device has been cleared of the malware.

News URL

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/03/15/malware-exfiltrate-data/