Malicious actors have been upping the ante at a concerning rate, and recent reports indicate that there are three new types of malware targeting businesses every two minutes. This data comes from an analysis conducted by BlackBerry, and it points to the sorry state of cybersecurity around the world with all things having been considered and taken into account. The report also indicates that there has been a rise in new malware types as of late.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that 60% of all malware attacks are targeting three main industries. These industries are finance, food retail as well as healthcare companies. Healthcare in particular has been beset by the worst malware attacks of all, which is dangerous because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up clogging up critical healthcare infrastructure.
Another thing that this report points towards is the increased prevalence of AI being used to conduct these attacks. AI can make malware easier to distribute than might have been the case otherwise since it can help malicious actors craft more believable attack campaigns. Deepfakes as well as AI chatbots are making things ever more challenging for those working in the cybersecurity industry, and unless something changes, things might get even worse from here on out.
Finally, the study revealed just how commonplace malware as a service has become. So called commodity malware can be purchased for a very low price, and in some cases it may even be free of charge.
This goes to show that cybersecurity experts as well as companies that are in possession of valuable and sensitive data need to be very vigilant lest things spiral out of control. It will be interesting to see what efforts are made to curtail the impact of malware, and we will have to wait for the rest of 2023 to play out in order to get any firm conclusions either way. All in all, cybersecurity is in a state of peril due to rising malware distribution.
Read next: What Companies Offer the Highest Paying Internships?
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that 60% of all malware attacks are targeting three main industries. These industries are finance, food retail as well as healthcare companies. Healthcare in particular has been beset by the worst malware attacks of all, which is dangerous because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up clogging up critical healthcare infrastructure.
Another thing that this report points towards is the increased prevalence of AI being used to conduct these attacks. AI can make malware easier to distribute than might have been the case otherwise since it can help malicious actors craft more believable attack campaigns. Deepfakes as well as AI chatbots are making things ever more challenging for those working in the cybersecurity industry, and unless something changes, things might get even worse from here on out.
Finally, the study revealed just how commonplace malware as a service has become. So called commodity malware can be purchased for a very low price, and in some cases it may even be free of charge.
This goes to show that cybersecurity experts as well as companies that are in possession of valuable and sensitive data need to be very vigilant lest things spiral out of control. It will be interesting to see what efforts are made to curtail the impact of malware, and we will have to wait for the rest of 2023 to play out in order to get any firm conclusions either way. All in all, cybersecurity is in a state of peril due to rising malware distribution.
Read next: What Companies Offer the Highest Paying Internships?
