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Ransomware jumps 20% in H1 2021 – new cybersecurity research
September 2021 by Skybox Security
Skybox Security Research Lab released its H1 2021 Vulnerability and Threat Trends Report (attached) which includes proprietary data and insight into the cybersecurity landscape in the first half of this year.
The research reveals new data on alarming trends that many suspected, but about which few knew the full extent. Overall, vulnerabilities have continued to increase in line with last year’s record-breaking pace, and a daunting cumulative total now leaves the already-challenged private and public sectors with an even more precarious threat landscape to navigate.
Among some of the most revealing findings in the report:
Operational technology (OT) vulnerabilities increased by 46%: On the heels of recent high-profile compromises of critical infrastructure (e.g., supply chains, pipelines, civil infrastructure), vulnerabilities in operational technology (OT) are up significantly year-over-year.
Vulnerability exploits in the wild increased by 30%: Vulnerabilities continue to climb at a record-breaking pace across both OT and network devices and beyond, and threat actors are exploiting them at an even greater rate.
New vulnerabilities are surging, while old ones remain exposed: To say nothing of the challenges posed by entirely new vulnerabilities, old ones remain exposed. The older the vulnerability, the more opportunity for threat actors to take advantage, making the growing cumulative backlog especially worrying.
Cryptojacking more than doubled in the first half of the year: The explosion in popularity of new trends (e.g., cryptocurrencies) is opening up a swath of new attack vectors for malicious actors to pursue.
