Στον σημερινό υπερσυνδεδεμένο κόσμο, δεν τίθεται πλέον το ερώτημα αν θα δεχτούμε επίθεση – αλλά πότε. Η report of Symantec, Internet Security Threat Report (ISTR), Volume 20, shows a tactical change in the behavior of cybercriminals: they penetrate the networks and avoid detection by violating the infrastructure of large organizations and the use of this infrastructure for their benefit. 
"Attackers do not need to break into a corporate network" knocking on the door "when the keys are already available for use," said Christos Ventouris, Southeast Europe Information Security Specialist. Symantec. “We're seeing attackers trick companies by infecting themselves with software upgradeof common programs that contain Trojans, patiently waiting for their targets to download the specific file, which ultimately gives them unlimited access to the corporate network.”
Attackers Achieve Speed and Accuracy
According to the Symantec report, it was a record year for zero-day vulnerabilities. The report also states that software companies took an average of 59 days to create and release patches - a big increase from the four days averaged in 2013. Attackers took advantage of this delay in the case of Heartbleed, too. exploited the vulnerability within four hours. There were a total of 24 zero-day vulnerabilities discovered in 2014, leaving the field open for attackers to exploit known security vulnerabilities before the respective patches were created, according to Symantec.
Meanwhile, the most advanced attackers continue to break into networks with high-level spear-phishing attacks, which increased by 8% in 2014. What is particularly interesting is the accuracy of these attacks, which used 20% less emails to penetrate successfully target organizations and integrate more drive-by malware downloads and other web-based exploits.
Additionally, Symantec remarked to the attackers:
- Use stolen email accounts from a victim-company to find new victims higher in the chain
- Take advantage of company management tools and procedures to move stolen intellectual property data within the corporate network before leaving it
- Create custom attack software within their victims' network to further cover their activities.
Digital Blackmail on Flowering
Email remains an important player in cybercrime attacks but continues to experiment with new methods of attacking portable devices and social networks to access more people with less effort.
"Cybercriminals are basically lazy. "They prefer automated tools and the contribution of clumsy consumers to do the 'hard' work," said Christos Ventouris, Southeast Europe Information Security Specialist for Symantec. "Last year, 70% of social media fraud cases were manually channeled, as attackers took advantage of users' willingness to trust content shared by their friends."
While social media scams provide cybercriminals with easy money, some rely on more profitable and aggressive methods of attack, such as ransomware, which grew 113% last year. More specifically, there were 45 times more victims crypto-ransomware attacks since 2013. Instead of pretending to be law enforcement officials, issuing fines for stolen content, as has been done in the past with traditional ransomware, attackers have changed their attack style, keeping the victim's files, photos and other digital content in their possession, no longer covering their intentions.
Protect it, Do not Miss It!
As attackers persist and evolve, there are some tips that can help businesses and consumers to be protected in the best possible way. First, Symantec recommends the following best practices:
For Business:
- Do not stay unprotected: Use sophisticated threats to help you find signs of exposure to threats and respond faster to relevant incidents.
- Make use of a strong approach to security: Implement a multi-level endpoint and network security protection that includes encryption, strong authentication and reputation-based technologies. Work with a company that provides managed security services to expand your company's IT team.
- Prepare for the worst: Incident management ensures that the security framework you have set is optimal, measurable and reliable and that any lessons from the past have strengthened the company's approach to security. Discuss the possibility of joining an external partner to your company's broadest potential to help with crisis management.
- Παρέχετε στα στελέχη σας συνεχή education: Establish guidelines and corporate practices and procedures to protect sensitive data found on personal and corporate devices. You regularly evaluate internally IT teams through practical exercises to ensure that they have the appropriate skills to fight cyber threats.
For consumers:
- Use strong passwords (passwords): This issue is constantly being emphasized. Using strong and unique passwords for your accounts and devices and updating them regularly - ideally every three months is the most effective solution. Never use the same password for multiple accounts.
- Be careful in social medium: Do not click links from unknown and unexpected email or social media messages, especially if they come from unknown sources. Fraudsters know that users are more likely to click on links coming from friends, so they also violate these accounts to send malicious links to the account owner's contacts.
- Know what you share: When you install an internet device, such as a home router or download a new application, browse and discover what data that application accesses. Turn off remote access when it is not necessary.
