A recent report by Optivshowed that state-backed hackers very often impersonate other hackers to avoid detection.
The report, titled “2019 Cyber Threat Intelligence Estimate,” is comprised of data from Optiv’s Global Threat Intelligence Center (gTIC) and security firms IntSights and Carbon Black. It identifies hackers, or “hybrid threat actors,” who disguise themselves to hide their identities. The report also found that many industries remain vulnerable to the growing threat of cyberattacks.
Jonathan Drake, senior intelligence analyst at Optiv, said they should not rely on typical cyberthreats, as hackers usually do not remain static.
The report's findings, according to Drake, should prompt organizations to consider a business-friendly approach to security . He stressed that a strong foundation must be built, as a hybrid threat actor requires a different approach
The report also includes the most frequent targets of hackers and other cybercriminals. Retail, healthcare, government and financial institutions continue to be among the most targeted verticals of cybersecurity attacks among Optiv’s 10 customer categories.
In practice, no business is immune to attacks, but the financial industry is still considered a key target for advanced attacks.
Finally, the research shows that botnets , distributed denial of service ( DDoS ), phishing and malware attacks are still widely used to infect systems. However, more modern attack methods and malware delivery systems, such as cryptojacking and ransomware, are becoming increasingly popular.
