'Ransomware and cyber-sabotage attacks are on the rise'

Cyber-threats are also increasing as sophisticated cyber attack techniques emerge. As a result, the cyber security of the public is exposed to risk. According to the Kaspersky Incident Response Analyst Report 2023, 75% of cyber-attacks on Microsoft used some common infection vectors. These attackers often use stolen IDs and passwords to create remote desktop protocol (RDP) attacks, phishing emails and duplicate documents as document templates. Although the number of such attacks fell by 36% in the first quarter of 2023 compared to 2022, ransomware and cyber-sabotage remain a threat.

Igor Kuznetsov, director of Kaspersky's Global Research and Analysis team, said, “Attacks' biggest targets were government institutions, followed by manufacturing and financial institutions. Among these, the biggest cyber-threats were ransomware and cyber-sabotage.”

Today, there is a strong trend among attackers to use RAAS (ransomware-as-a-service) as a business. Igor breaks down three misconceptions people have. According to him, firstly, not all cyber-criminals are IT experts. Second, ransomware targets are not predetermined. And, cyber-criminals don't act alone. RAAS is created in collaboration with a variety of people, from vendors to negotiators. Thus these attacks become more powerful.

Igor added, “To stop ransomware, victims need to stop paying ransom. Stolen data can often be recovered without a ransom. Kaspersky has a variety of methods to provide such assistance. Since 2018, over 1.5 million people have recovered their data using these methods.”

According to Igor, “Another big threat is supply chain attacks, especially those involving containerized systems running on open-source software. Containerized systems often rely on numerous third parties, increasing their level of risk. Two examples of which, the Crowdstrike incident that shut down targeted devices, show how widespread the impact of a botched update can be. In addition, attacks on XZ Linux also put many SSH-enabled devices at risk.”

Bangladesh /RH