Tag: trend

Trend Micro warns of a return to secret attacks

Posted on August 29, 2018 by - News

banner_220x220Vendor Trend has warned that the days of mass ransomware attacks are over and hackers are taking a more discrete approach.

The biggest change is a shift from large scale ransomware attacks to more covert attacks that are aimed at stealing both money and computing resources.

The computing power is in demand by those hijacking PCs to use the machines as part of digital currency mining efforts.

Bharat Mistry, principal security strategist for Trend Micro said that the recent change in the threat landscape shows that cybercriminals will constantly shift their tools, tactics and procedures (TTPs) to improve their infection rates.

“Standard spray and pray ransomware attacks and data breaches had become the norm, so attackers changed their tactics to be more covert, using entry vectors not previously seen or used extensively. This means once again, business leaders must evaluate their defenses to ensure sufficient protection is in place to stop the latest and most pressing threats”, added Mistry.

One of the proposed answers that gets pitched to customers is to increase automation to help with the heavy lifting but research from Skybox Security indicates that much more work needs to be done on that front.

The firm found that APAC is ahead of the US and EMEA in using automation for processes involved in firewall rules and security policy. AI and machine learning is also something that so far appears to be more a concept than a reality for many users.

 

Trend says that destructive hacking on the rise

Posted on April 8, 2015 by - News

1858_4_CourseOfEmpire_Destruction_ColeHacking attacks which are designed to destroy a company, rather than just steal information, are on the rise.

A poll by the Organisation of American States found that 40 percent of respondents had battled attempts to shut down their computer networks, 44 percent had dealt with bids to delete files and 54 percent had encountered “attempts to manipulate” their equipment through a control system.

Less than 60 percent of the 575 respondents said they had detected any attempts to steal data, long considered the predominant hacking goal.

The survey went to companies and agencies in crucial sectors as defined by the OAS members. Almost a third of the respondents were public entities, with communications, security and finance being the most heavily represented industries.

The questions did not delve into detail, leaving the amount of typical losses from breaches and the motivations of suspected attackers as matters for speculation. The survey-takers were not asked whether the attempted hacks succeeded, and some attacks could have been carried off without their knowledge.

The survey did allow anonymous participants to provide a narrative of key events if they chose, although those will not be published.

The report was compiled by Trend Micro whose Chief Cyber security Officer Tom Kellermann said additional destructive or physical attacks came from political activists and organised crime.

“We are facing a clear and present danger where we have non-state actors willing to destroy things,” he said. “This is going to be the year we suffer a catastrophe in the hemisphere, and when you will see kinetic response to a threat actor.”

Destructive attacks or manipulation of equipment are infrequently revealed. That is in part because breach-disclosure laws in more than 40 states centre on the potential risks to consumers from the theft of personal information, as with hacks of retailers including Home Depot and Target.