Cooperative Living October 2020 - 22

SafetySense | Story Courtesy of StatePoint Media
Cybercriminals
are reimagining
malware to defeat
security controls,
and it's working.
Combatting Cybersecurity
Threats of the COVID-19 Era
N
ew data reveal that in uncertain times, consumers
and businesses need even greater vigilance when it
comes to their cybersecurity.
The midyear update to the 2020 SonicWall Cyber Threat
Report highlights an opportunistic use of the COVID-19
pandemic by cybercriminals.
" Cybercriminals can be resourceful, often setting traps to
take advantage of people's kindness and panic in uncertain
times, as well as their trust in everyday systems, " says Bill
Conner, president and CEO of SonicWall, a California-based
security company. " With everyone more remote and mobile
than ever before, the cybercriminal industry is very aware
that businesses are highly exposed. "
SHIFTING THREATS
During the first half of 2020, global malware attacks fell
from 4.8 billion to 3.2 billion over 2019's midyear total, a
continuation of a downward trend.
However, less malware doesn't necessarily mean a safer
world; ransomware has seen a corresponding jump over
the same time period and continues to be the preferred tool
for cybercriminals.
Increasing a staggering 20% globally in the first half of
2020, SonicWall logged 79.9 million ransomware attacks
in the U.S., a trend that continues to ebb and flow based
on the behaviors of agile cybercriminal networks.
COVID-19 EMAIL SCAMS
Together, the global pandemic and social-engineered
cyberattacks have proven to be an effective mix for
cybercriminals utilizing phishing and other email scams.
As far back as Feb. 4, SonicWall researchers detected a
flurry of increased attacks, scams and exploits specifically
based around COVID-19. This contrasts with phishing as
a whole, which was down slightly by the time pandemic
phishing attempts began picking up steam.
POPULAR PROGRAMS ATTRACT THIEFS
Microsoft Office is a necessity for millions working remotely.
20 | Cooperative Living | October 2020
Cybercriminals were quick to leverage this shift. Leveraging
SonicWall Capture Advanced Threat Protection with patentpending
Real-Time Deep Memory Inspection technology,
SonicWall discovered that 22% of Microsoft Office files
and 11% of PDF files made up about one-third of all newly
identified malware in 2020. The technology identified
a record 120,910 never-before-seen malware variants during
that time, a 63% increase over the first six months of 2019.
" Cybercriminals are too sophisticated to use known
malware variants, so they're reimagining malware to defeat
security controls, and it's working, " Conner says.
NONSTANDARD PORTS
By sending malware across nonstandard ports, assailants
can bypass traditional firewall technologies, ensuring increased
success for payloads. A " nonstandard " port, one that is used
for a purpose other than its default assignment, is leveraged
by services running on a port other than its default assignment.
An average of 23% of attacks took place over nonstandard
ports, the highest mark since SonicWall began tracking the
vector in 2018.
INTERNET OF THINGS SERVES THREATS
Remote workforces can introduce many new risks,
including Internet of Things devices like refrigerators, baby
cameras and doorbells. A 50% increase in IoT malware
attacks mirrors the number of additional devices connected
online, as individuals and enterprise alike function from home.
Unchecked IoT devices can provide cybercriminals an open
door into what may otherwise be a well-secured organization.
As organizations mobilize for their new business normal,
they can adapt to new threats in real-time by leveraging the
services of security experts such as SonicWall.
" This new business normal is no longer new, " says Conner.
" As everything goes more remote, mobile and unsecure,
organizations must move away from makeshift or traditional
security strategies. " 
For more information, visit sonicwall.com.
co-opliving.com
PHOTO BY NIYAZ TAVKAEV-ISTOCK VIA GETTY IMAGES PLUS
http://www.sonicwall.com http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living October 2020

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