Subj : Ransomware remains the most pressing security issue worldwide  bu
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Mon Jan 29 2024 11:30:05

Ransomware remains the most pressing security issue worldwide  but even 
schools are being targeted now

Date:
Mon, 29 Jan 2024 11:28:00 +0000

Description:
Education is tied with manufacturing as the #1 target for criminals, Cisco 
Talos report finds.

FULL STORY
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After slightly dipping on the list of the biggest cybersecurity threats for 
2023, ransomware rose back to the top, a report from cybersecurity 
researchers Cisco Talos has claimed. 

The company's findings say ransomware rose significantly in Q4 2023, with the 
education sector now one of the biggest targets. 

As per the Quarterly Trends report, ransomware and pre-ransomware activity 
was the most observed threat for Q4 2023, making up more than a quarter (28%) 
of all Cisco Talos Incident Response engagements. This activity rose by 17%, 
compared to the third quarter of the year. Notably, the researchers said 
multiple ransomware operators were active last quarter, but mentioned Play, 
Cactus, BlackSuit and NoEscape specifically. ALPHV (BlackCat), for example, 
was not observed by Talos IR in this quarter. Missing MFA 

While manufacturing was historically one of the most targeted verticals out 
there, for this quarter, the score is tied with education, as the two made up 
almost 50% of the total number of incident response engagements, the report 
added. 

Usually, the threat actors would either use compromised credentials on valid 
accounts for initial access, or a flawed public-facing application. Both 
these methods made up 28% of engagements. Remote access software, such as 
ScreenConnect, SplashTop and AnyDesk were used in nearly a fourth of 
engagements this quarter. 

However, there is a relatively simple way to reduce the chances of being 
attacked by ransomware, the researchers hint. Apparently, the lack of 
multi-factor authentication (MFA) implementation was the number one security 
weakness, accounting for more than a third (36%) of all engagements, and 
continuing a trend we observed throughout 2023. In other words, businesses 
should make sure they activate MFA on employee accounts wherever and whenever 
possible. More from TechRadar Pro Ransomware recovery  the need for speed 
Here's a list of the best firewalls around today These are the best endpoint 
security tools right now



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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/ransomware-remains-the-most-pressing-se
curity-issue-worldwide-but-even-schools-are-being-targeted-now


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