Perpetual challenge in cybersecurity

There's a significant rise in the number of cybercriminals. CrowdStrike observed 34 new threat actors in 2023. Attackers increasingly target cloud environments, mostly for financial motives. Yet in some cases, it allows attackers to reach on-premise servers.
  
CrowdStrike's 2024 Global Threat Report underscores the perpetual challenge in cybersecurity: as security technologies advance, adversaries are equally quick to adapt, exploiting new vulnerabilities and employing cutting-edge techniques to enhance their attacks. The report highlights several critical issues that are reshaping the cybersecurity landscape.
 
Cloud environments are increasingly becoming a target for attackers. This shift in focus might be due to the growing adoption of cloud services by businesses and the potential for attackers to gain access to valuable data stored there.

 
Secondly, Adversaries are continually developing more advanced tactics to compromise systems. These include living-off-the-land techniques, which use legitimate software and processes to carry out malicious activities, making it harder for security systems to distinguish between normal and malicious behaviour.
 
One of the most alarming trends is the significant rise in malware-free attacks. These types of attacks, which now constitute 75% of all detected incidents, rely heavily on stolen credentials and legitimate tools to bypass traditional security measures, making them particularly difficult to detect and prevent.
 
The primary motivation behind these cloud attacks seems to be financial gain. Attackers might be aiming to steal sensitive financial information, deploy ransomware, or disrupt operations for financial extortion.
 
The findings in CrowdStrike's report underscore the importance of evolving cybersecurity strategies to address these sophisticated threats. Traditional defenses, such as signature-based malware detection, are no longer sufficient on their own. Effective cybersecurity now requires a multifaceted approach.
 
 
The report highlights several trends that illustrate the evolving nature of cyber threats and the ongoing arms race between cybersecurity professionals and attackers.

Ms. S Mohini Ratna - Editor VARINDIA