Cyber attacks on businesses surge by 55%, warns Malwarebytes
It’s long been known that businesses in the UK are failing to address fundamental security flaws and a report from cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes highlights how this is being exploited.
According to the cybersecurity firm’s quarterly report which was released this week, banking Trojan attacks were up 84% earlier this year making them the most popular form of malware attack for both businesses and consumers. More alarmingly, it shows a shift in the way hackers choose to target vulnerable users as the types of Trojan used are changing.
A mix of both new Trojans and stronger, evolved iterations of previous malware top the most detected list.
The report also highlights the hike in attacks on businesses compared to consumer targets with a 55% and 4% rise in the respective sectors.
Not only are the targeted attacks becoming more sophisticated, they’re starting to target those with larger pockets, seeking greater rewards for their efforts. This is shown in the increased detection of Emotet, a malware that exclusively steals financial information from infected computers which is up 37% and ranks in the top six detected malware for businesses.
The threats don’t end with Trojans either, ransomware attacks saw an 88% increase while consumer attacks saw a welcome decline. Malwarebytes said new developments to GandCrab, including faster and more robust encryption features have made it an even greater threat. The new variant has already hit Florida’s Monroe County School District, causing a week-long outage of their computer network.
In addition, Magniber ransomware expanded to other regions. In previous years the attacks have been localised to South Korea, but in recent months the malware has increased its target range, setting its sights on other Asian countries too. Previous iterations of Magniber targeted users by identifying keyboard language layouts but it now checks for other languages native to Asian countries including Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malay.
The report should alarm businesses that make up the surprisingly high number of firms in the UK that are failing to implement the five steps recommended by the government's Cyber Essentials scheme. According to the annual Cyber Security Breaches Survey, only 50% of all businesses surveyed have implemented all five security measures as set out by the scheme.
"The number of businesses making cybersecurity a priority has increased year-on-year, but this survey shows that there is still a long way to go in addressing the very basics," said Tony Pepper, CEO of file-sharing firm Egress.
“Q3 2018 proved that more and more cybercriminals are willing to put on their big boy pants and put their software to the test in a much larger arena—whether that’s going toe to toe with businesses who have more robust security practices (but much juicer, profitable targets) or spreading out into new geolocations," the report said.
"The big story here is how many different malware authors (and thus different families and categories of threats) turned their attention at once to organizations, leaving their experimentation to the consumer side."
Source itpro
Industry: Cyber Security News
Latest Jobs
-
- VOIP / SIP App Developer. Contract. SIP | VOIP experience needed. SC Cleared Outside IR35 Contract. London
- London
- OUTSIDE IR35
-
SIP | VOIP Developer. SC Cleared Contract. London Looking for a SC Cleared SIP / VOIP Developer to develop an application that interacts with a set of voice and video signalling API’s You will also work on developing in-house applications, browser plugins and automated tooling to support secure communication systems. Responsibilities Develop an application that will manage number mapping and associated identities using commercial SBC API’s. Develop new user-facing features using React.js or other modern JavaScript frameworks. Build reusable components and front-end libraries for future use. Collaborate with the design team to translate UI/UX design wireframes into code. Work closely with backend developers to integrate front-end code with server-side logic. Conduct code reviews and provide constructive feedback to team members. Stay up-to-date on emerging technologies and industry trends to continuously improve our front-end development practices. Troubleshoot and debug issues that arise during development and in production environments. Maintain high coding standards and practices and ensure code is well-documented. Requirement Experience of developing specialist applications using REST API’s. Good knowledge of Go, Java and Python (open to alternative combinations of languages). Proficiency in front-end languages and frameworks such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React.js, etc. Strong understanding of web standards, responsive design, and cross-browser compatibility. Experience with version control systems such as Git. Knowledge of RESTful APIs and asynchronous request handling. Familiarity with UI/UX design principles and tools.
-
- Senior Data Privacy Consultant. Client Facing | London
- London
- N/A
-
Senior Data Privacy Consultant. Client Facing | London Senior Data Privacy Consultant needed for a key client facing opportunity. Must be willing to undergo SC Security Clearance. Hybrid role- onsite with customer / office 2-3 days a week. London Key Responsibilities: Lead and support client facing data privacy projects. Assess compliance, define and deliver strategic projects / implement privacy solutions. Manage project teams and develop business opportunities. Required Experience: Experience in data protection and privacy standards. Background in consulting. Skills and Qualifications: Business consulting experience IAPP Privacy Manager / Privacy Technologist Location Greater London UK based role. Not able to provide VISA sponsorship.
-
- Security Analyst - Internal role. London commutable. Permanent
- London
- N/A
-
Security Analyst - Internal role. London commutable opportunity. Operational Security - Investigate, escalate and proactively work to ensure household name remains protected. Project Security - Coordinate, log change requests with project delivery teams to meet security requirements Policy / compliance - work with team to aid in uplifting these as and where needed This role is role to investigate, escalate and proactively work to protect a globally recognised brand. You must have current hands on operational analytical security experience with Microsoft technology stack Someone with a SOC Analyst / security engineering background would be well suited. This position will join a small team and would suit someone that has broad experience across the security threat landscape. Experience / knowledge across industry GRC standards such NIST, ISO27001 etc very advantageous and a priority. You will work across multiple teams proactively working to secure the business. Must be able to commute to Central London 3 days a week. Visa sponsorship not available Apply today to find out more.
-
- Network / Security Infrastructure Engineer | West London | Permanent
- London
- N/A
-
Network / Security Infrastructure Engineer | West London | Current Config, Install, upgrade experience On prem / Datacetner experience essential. Hands on experience MUST include: Routing, Switching, Network Security (firewall, IDS etc), Microsoft exchange / Exchange 365. Scripting / automation experience wanted. Python, Powershell etc Regular travel to West London is required. Visa sponsorship not available. Apply today for more information chris.holt@dclsearch.com Use this whatapp link to reach out https://wa.me/message/6USF5RAQBOZIP1