Cybercrime remains one of the biggest threats worldwide, according to a new report from email cloud security and backup provider Hornetsecurity.
In this article, we will share with you the Cyber Threat Report 2022 Edition details that include the latest insights and data on the current threat situation.
Table of Contents
Introduction
The world of cybercrime never stands still and remains one of the biggest threats worldwide. The Cyber Threat Report Edition 2021/2022 details the latest insights and data on the current threat situation with a focus on email communication.
A new Cybersecurity report has been released from Hornetsecurity that cites growing threats of brand impersonation and ransomware leaks.
The report examines the development of spam and advanced threats, shows which industries are most under threat, and identifies the most frequently used cyberattack methods. It also reviews the most crucial cybercrime-related events of the past year.
Email Threat Review
A malicious email is sent to a large number of email addresses. Nevertheless, some companies and industries are of particular interest to cybercriminals because they assume, for example, that such companies enjoy particularly high sales or have extremely sensitive and valuable data.
In order not to be detected by different spam and virus filters, cybercriminals hide malware in their email attacks in various ways. With a share of 33.6%, archives have been the most popular attachment among cybercriminals to spread malware.
As of April 2020, Microsoft reported 258 million active users of the Office 365 suite. If just 10% of the computers in use are not adequately protected against cyberattacks, that makes a total of 25 million individual targets for hackers that are potentially easy to infiltrate.
The Microsoft Exchange hack also shows that even state-sponsored hacker groups are increasingly focusing on Microsoft, as they know how much pressure a successful attack can put on affected companies and authorities.
As Microsoft 365 continues to proliferate as one of the most widely used cloud applications in the business space, hacking attacks on users are also expected to continue to rise.
40% of emails pose a potential threat
As the primary means of communication for business, email is one of the main gateways for cybercrime and remains a prime attack vector. Threat researchers at the Hornetsecurity Security Lab found that 40% of all inbound emails out of the total email traffic during the research period posed a potential threat. This includes spam, phishing emails, and advanced threats such as CEO fraud and any type of malware.
Phishing, malicious links, and ransomware are among the most popular attack tactics used by hackers. “Brand impersonation” is especially popular. For this, cybercriminals copy a company‘s corporate design and mimic the sender address in such a way that it can hardly be distinguished from the original, genuine email address. The main aim is to obtain the user’s access data or to spread malware via hidden links. At 16.5%, Deutsche Post and DHL are among the top five most frequently imitated brands.
Summary
Email is still the most popular way of communicating for companies. However, not all emails that land in employee inboxes, are wanted. But what threats were in those unwanted emails? What are the risks posed by new types of malware and deceptive approaches of cybercriminals?
Get your free copy of the Cyber Threat Report today, and access all data, figures, and visuals!
In addition to this and other insights about the current state of global cybercrime, the Cyber Threat Report 2022 Edition also provides an outlook on further possible developments.
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-Charbel Nemnom-
