A computer user/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 11 – Cybercrime continues to be more lucrative with prominent malware and attack methods evolving by the day.
This is according to a study by Check Point Software Technologies mid-year report, which reveals that the new wave of cybercrime is simple, yet effective, causing rapid destruction globally.
According to the report, cyber-attacks are occurring at a higher frequency than in previous years with recent infiltrations demonstrating the agility, scale and persistence of an attack that criminals are capable of executing.
“All regions have suffered from these large-scale attacks, reinforcing the need for proactive solutions,” reads the report.
As such, a couple of recurring global trends have been noted in the report, for instance, nation-state cyber weapons are now in the hands of criminals “as seen in several incidents throughout the first half of 2017, the theft and consequent availability of key nation-state hacking tools, combined with wide scale zero-day vulnerabilities, now enable unskilled hackers to carry out highly sophisticated attack campaigns.”
The line between adware and malware is also fading and mobile adware botnets are on the rise.
“Adware, which automatically displays or downloads advertising material on an infected machine, was until recently not among our greatest concerns, as while sometimes annoying, its sole purpose is to generate revenue and not to cause actual damage. In parallel, mobile adware botnets continue to expand and dominate the mobile malware arena. In the first half of 2017, we witnessed a persistent rise in the spread and technical capabilities of mobile adware botnets,” reads the report.
Check Point says despite the amount of incoming threats, most organisations continue to rely on a strategy of detection and response after an attack has occurred rather than prevention. To that end, these organizations are advised to remain attuned to the ever-changing threat landscape.
