Westford, Mass, Aug.7, 2019: Attacks on smart devices keeps going up. A fresh report on Online security says hackers are increasingly taking advantage of everything, from smart home sensors to smartphones, routers, and even Apple software to discover and weaponize new attack vectors.
The Threat Intelligence Report for the first half of 2019 by NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, INC., a provider of service assurance and security, underscores how dramatically the cybercriminal business model had “matured into an efficient, global operation”, and the increasing geographical diversity and proliferation of nation-state Advance Persistent Threats (APT) groups.
“Our latest Threat Intelligence Report underscores how cybercriminals and crimeware have not only gone to business school, but they can now teach classes,” said Hardik Modi, NETSCOUT’s Senior Director of Threat Intelligence, in a press statement. “With the cadence of attacks on the rise, businesses can no longer afford to compromise on security. IoT devices are under attack often within just five minutes of being powered up. The threats are real, and Cyber Threat Horizon gives businesses extensive visibility and clarity into the threat landscape, helping them to make the right security choices.”
Key findings from the Threat Intelligence Report include:
- Focus on mid-size DDoS attacks. DDoS attack frequency grew 39 percent in the first half of 2019 from the first half of 2018; a 776 percent growth occurred in the number of attacks between 100 Gbps and 400 Gbps.
- Firewalls are getting hit. Proof-of-concept malware is targeting the Internet of Things (IoT) devices behind firewalls. This new development highlights a potentially devastating situation since there are 20 times more IoT devices behind firewalls than directly connected to the Internet.
- Geopolitical skirmishes go cyber. Geopolitical adversaries increasingly target one another using cyber tactics ranging from malware and DDoS attacks to social engineering and misinformation.
To download the full report or learn more about the findings from the research, please click here.