Cyber Threats
The 5 Most Common Cyber Security Threats of 2022
Discover the 5 most common and dangerous cyber security threats posing risks to your customers’ businesses this year.
The ever-evolving nature of the threat landscape means that there are always new, emerging challenges for MSPs to tackle. As we progress through 2022, the cyber security threats dominating the IT space are already different from the beginning of the year. In order to provide your customers with the most comprehensive defence, you need to stay up to date and informed on the latest and most common cyber security threats posing a risk to businesses today.
What are the top 5 cyber security threats to look out for?
Malware
Malware refers to a variety of different forms of attack including viruses, ransomware, spyware and worms. These threats are united by their methodology: they all exploit vulnerabilities to plant a dangerous link or attachment, which will download malicious software into a system when clicked. Of all the forms of malware, ransomware is the most pervasive and fastest growing type. Ransomware encrypts data until the original owner plays a ransom in order to retrieve it – a cruel form of attack that essentially sells your own intellectual property back to you for an extortionate price. 2022 has already seen a number of high-profile ransomware attacks, with targets including the Bernalillo County government in New Mexico and Puma.
Phishing
Phishing is a particularly dangerous form of cyber security threat, as it preys upon human error rather than technical inconsistencies. Social engineering attacks such as phishing will continue to dominate the cyber sphere as 2022 progresses, with Verizon reporting that 85% of all data breaches now involve some form of human interaction. As phishing trends tend to exploit common interests, it is likely that the threat landscape will see more attacks related to cryptocurrency. As popular interest and investment in cryptocurrency has risen over the past year, cryptocurrency based phishing attacks rose by 200% in the space of just six months. This trajectory is unfortunately not expected to slow down.
Man in the Middle Attacks
Man in the Middle attacks are a rapidly evolving form of cyber security threat which describe the act of a cyber criminal intercepting a connection between two separate parties by exploiting vulnerabilities within a network. Once this connection has been compromised, the hacker can interrupt traffic and steal or manipulate data. New Man in the Middle attack techniques are beginning to develop, with techniques becoming more commonly seen. For instance, eavesdropping is becoming more dangerous: referring to the act of a hacker adopting the identity of one user in the exchange and mining for data using this false appearance as cover.
DDoS Attacks
Direct Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks work by overwhelming the targeted website, server, network or application with traffic from bots, blocking access to legitimate users. In some cases, victims can even be forced to pay a ransom to reclaim access. In the first quarter of 2022 alone, there was a 46% increase in DDoS attacks compared to the last quarter of 2021 (a period which had also seen record highs). The reason for this dramatic increase can be attributed in part to the fallout of recent geopolitical tensions which have led to an upsurge in this specific form of cyber security threat.
SQL injections
SQL injections take place when a cyber criminal inserts malicious code into a server by using a server query language (SQL) which forces the server to reveal confidential data or information. This particular form of cyber security threat is most commonly the result of an attacker entering malicious code into an unprotected website comment or search box. This can damage or even completely destroy a business’ database.
Enhance your cyber security strategy with Trend Micro
Your security vendor plays an extremely significant role in your ability to effectively defend your customers from these cyber security threats. Therefore, it is vital that you partner with a vendor that will remain dependable even in periods of flux and transition. Trend Micro are long-standing global security leaders, headquartered in Japan and the USA. We leverage over thirty years of threat research to deliver innovative cyber security solutions to over 500,000 organisations and over 250 million individuals.
To discover just how seamless and efficient it can be to migrate to Trend Micro’s cyber security stack, download our comprehensive migration guide that lays out all the key steps.