Darktrace researchers have reported that 17.8 million phishing emails have been detected between December 2023 and July 2024.
The brand new report, printed at present at Black Hat USA, analyzes cyber-threats confronted by companies within the first half of the yr and highlights the continuing dominance of cybercrime-as-a-service.
In response to the brand new figures, fashions like malware-as-a-service (MaaS) and ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) proceed to be important, offering cybercriminals with pre-made malware and phishing templates and reducing the technical entry barrier for assaults.
Info-stealing malware accounted for 29% of early triaged investigations from January to June 2024. Trojans and distant entry Trojans (RATs) made up 15% and 12% of the threats respectively, with botnets and loaders additionally notable within the risk panorama.
New threats, such because the Qilin ransomware, have emerged, using subtle ways like rebooting contaminated machines in protected mode to bypass safety instruments. Ransomware strains like Akira, Lockbit and Black Basta have been noticed utilizing double extortion strategies.
Regardless of developments in safety, phishing stays a main concern. Of the 17.8 million phishing emails detected, 62% bypassed DMARC checks and 56% evaded all present safety layers. Attackers are more and more utilizing respectable third-party providers like Dropbox and Slack to mix in with common community visitors, making detection harder.
Learn extra on phishing threats: Phishing Assaults Focusing on US and European Organizations Double
The report additionally famous an increase within the exploitation of vulnerabilities in edge infrastructure gadgets. Targets included Ivanti Join Safe, JetBrains TeamCity, FortiClient Enterprise Administration Server and Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS. These vulnerabilities typically function beginning factors for extra in depth malicious actions. Between January and June, 40% of the circumstances investigated concerned CVE exploitation.
“The alarming statistics within the newest Darktrace Half Yr Risk Report 2024 spotlight the necessity for organizations to undertake a multi-layered strategy to electronic mail safety, incorporating superior AI-driven anomaly detection and behavioral evaluation to enhance conventional safety measures,” warned Stephen Kowski, area CTO at SlashNext Electronic mail Safety.
“This holistic technique may help establish and mitigate subtle phishing assaults that evade DMARC and different typical defenses. By constantly monitoring and adapting to evolving risk patterns, organizations can considerably improve their electronic mail safety posture.”