May 21, 2024 at 07:09AM
The number of new ransomware strains has significantly decreased in the past year, indicating that existing tools are successful and there is little need for innovation. Rapid7’s research found only 43 new ransomware families in 2023, a significant drop from 95 the previous year. Ransomware attacks typically start by exploiting vulnerabilities or obtaining valid accounts, making patching and multi-factor authentication crucial for defense. Zero-day exploits were increasingly prevalent in network and security appliances, with 60% of all zero-day vulnerabilities in 2023 found in these devices.
Based on the meeting notes, the key takeaways are:
1. There has been a significant decrease in the number of new ransomware strains in circulation over the past year, partly due to the success of existing tools used by top cybercriminal organizations.
2. The focus of ransomware attacks has shifted from encrypting entire endpoints to targeting business-critical systems that store data like network shares and virtual machine clusters, with a trend towards exfiltrating data first before deploying the ransomware.
3. The most common initial access vectors for ransomware attacks are exploiting vulnerabilities in public-facing applications and obtaining valid accounts, making it crucial for organizations to apply patches and deploy multi-factor authentication (MFA) to mitigate these risks.
4. MFA deployment is emphasized as a critical security measure, with the need for organizations to strictly enforce its implementation to effectively protect against intrusions.
5. The rise in zero-day-enabled attacks poses a significant threat, as cybercrime groups show strong incentive to develop and exploit zero-day vulnerabilities, particularly in network and security appliances, which were at the heart of 60 percent of all zero-day vulnerabilities in 2023.
6. Notably, there has been a doubling of exploits targeting network edge devices, indicating a growing trend of attackers targeting these devices for launching their attacks in the future.
Overall, the report underscores the importance of vigilance in addressing cybersecurity threats, including the need to deploy MFA effectively, patch vulnerabilities promptly, and stay informed about emerging attack techniques and trends.