Continued Increase in Novel Malware Fuels 3.7
Attacks per Minute
WATERLOO, ON, March 14,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- BlackBerry Limited (NYSE: BB;
TSX: BB) today released its latest Global Threat Intelligence
Report, revealing threat actors focusing efforts on targeting
high-value data held by the global financial sector, with one
million attacks logged over the 120 day period. This "death by a
million cuts" is revealed to be using mainly commodity malware,
which indicates a large number of independent actors targeting the
industry in pursuit of financial gain. Critical infrastructure
attacks, including those targeting government, financial,
healthcare and communications industries, altogether accounted for
62 percent of industry-related attacks over the report period,
September to December 2023.
The BlackBerry Threat Research and Intelligence team registered
a 27 percent uptick in novel malware to 3.7 new malicious samples
per minute prevented by its AI-powered cybersecurity solutions,
compared to 2.9 per minute in the previous reporting period.
Overall, BlackBerry® cybersecurity solutions stopped 31 attacks
every minute, a 19 percent increase on the last reporting
period.
"We're consistently seeing increased volumes of attack in highly
lucrative industries using novel malware," said Ismael Valenzuela, Vice President of Threat
Research and Intelligence at BlackBerry. "Novel malware typically
indicates specific motivations from threat actors towards
particular attack targets with intent to evade defenses, which are
often based on static signatures. We've reached a pivotal point
where traditional detection methods alone are not enough to combat
this increasingly complex problem. AI is already being weaponized
by malicious entities, so it must equally be the dominant tool for
detection and defense."
Highlights from the latest BlackBerry Global Threat Intelligence
Report include:
- 62 percent of industry-related attacks targeted critical
industries: Digitization and the prospect of debilitating
national infrastructure attracted notorious gangs and
Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS) groups who attempt to exploit security
misconfigurations and vulnerabilities for varying motives.
- Commercial enterprises also under attack: 33 percent of
all threats targeted commercial enterprises (including retail,
manufacturing, automotive and professional services), with the
majority (53 percent) of those deploying information-stealing
(Infostealer) malware with the aim of accessing highly sensitive
data.
- Rapid weaponization of CVEs by Threat
Actors: Ransomware gangs observed taking advantage of new
Zero Day vulnerabilities and mass mobilizing against potentially
vulnerable targets, with zero-day exploits motivating profiteer
groups.
Based on its data analysis, the BlackBerry Threat Intelligence
and Research team predicts that 2024 will bring an increase in
attacks targeting critical infrastructure and other profitable
segments. VPN appliances will likely remain desirable targets for
nation-state-level threat actors and it is anticipated that there
will be a continued increase in supply chain cyberattacks targeting
hardware and software vulnerabilities. Further, APAC will likely
see an increase in attacks from China and North
Korea, particularly financially-motivated attacks.
Download a copy of BlackBerry's Global Threat Intelligence
Report at BlackBerry.com, and register to attend our Global Threat
Intelligence Report Deep Dive webinar on March 26 to discover more.
About BlackBerry
BlackBerry (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) provides intelligent security
software and services to enterprises and governments around the
world. The company's software powers over 235M vehicles. Based in Waterloo, Ontario, the company leverages AI
and machine learning to deliver innovative solutions in the areas
of cybersecurity, safety, and data privacy solutions, and is a
leader in the areas of endpoint management, endpoint security,
encryption, and embedded systems. BlackBerry's vision is clear - to
secure a connected future you can trust.
For more information, visit BlackBerry.com and follow
@BlackBerry.
Trademarks, including but not limited to BLACKBERRY and
EMBLEM Design, are the trademarks or registered trademarks of
BlackBerry Limited, and the exclusive rights to such trademarks are
expressly reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective owners. BlackBerry is not responsible for any
third-party products or services.
Media Contacts:
BlackBerry Media Relations
+1 (519) 597-7273
mediarelations@BlackBerry.com
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SOURCE BlackBerry Limited