A recent report by Sophos revealed that cybercriminals used more than 500 distinct tools and techniques in 2022, including 118 “Living off the Land” binaries (LOLBins). Unlike malware, LOLBins are executables that are naturally found on operating systems, making them more difficult for defenders to block when attackers use them for malicious activities. Sophos found that the primary factor behind cyberattacks was unpatched vulnerabilities, with 50% of investigations showing that cyber attackers used ProxyShell and Log4Shell vulnerabilities, discovered in 2021, to infiltrate organizations. Compromised credentials were the second most common cause of attacks.
READ ALSO:
Italy lifts temporary ban on ChatGPT after data privacy concerns addressed by OpenAI
MTN Group launches free online MTN Skills Academy in Zambia to address digital skills gap in Africa
Sophos’ field CTO, commercial, John Shier, said that today’s attackers are “logging in” instead of breaking in. He explained that the threat environment has grown too complex for defenders to exploit discernible gaps. Sophos’ Incident Response team found that over two-thirds (68%) of the attacks investigated involved ransomware, making it one of the most prevalent threats to companies. Ransomware was also responsible for 75% of Sophos’ IR investigations over the last three years.