Acronis 2023 Cyberthreats Report, Revealing Alarming Trends

Acronis, among leading global players in cyber protection, unveiled its latest report on cyber threats for the second half of 2023. Titled “Acronis Cyberthreats Report, H2 2023: Notable Surge in Cyberattacks Targeting SMBs and MSPs,” the report offers a comprehensive examination and forward-looking assessment of critical security concerns and prevalent cyber threats worldwide. Drawing insights from data collected from over 1,000,000 unique endpoints across 15 key nations, the report reveals that AI-enhanced phishing impacted more than 90% of organizations, contributing to a 222% spike in email attacks in 2023 compared to the latter half of 2022.

While the number of ransomware variants and new groups continues to decline, prominent ransomware families still pose significant risks, leading to data and financial losses for companies globally. The report highlights the inadequacy of robust security solutions in detecting zero-day vulnerabilities exploitation. Additionally, organizations are vulnerable to attacks due to delays in patching vulnerable software, granting threat actors domain administrative rights and access to sensitive data. Implementing behavior-based detection and exploit prevention technology alongside proper data backup, following the 3-2-1 rule, is crucial in establishing a robust defense mechanism.

Candid Wüest, Acronis VP of Product Management, emphasized a troubling global trend where malicious actors exploit ChatGPT and similar AI systems to enhance cyberattack efficiency, generate malicious code, and automate attacks. Wüest stressed the urgency for corporations to prioritize comprehensive cyber protection solutions to safeguard business continuity.

Given its channel-first approach, Acronis focuses on safeguarding its dedicated partners, managed service providers (MSPs), and managed security service providers (MSSPs). These IT resources play a vital role in providing robust IT infrastructure and cybersecurity support to businesses of all sizes. However, their centralized services make them susceptible to cyber threats, serving as a single point of failure exploited by cybercriminals to target multiple entities through a single attack.

The report forecasts a rise in advanced tactics such as supply chain attacks, AI-driven attacks, and state-sponsored incursions, posing unique threats to MSP operations. Acronis offers training and certification programs through the MSP Academy to empower MSPs in enhancing their cybersecurity skills and knowledge.

Key highlights from the report include

• Insights into the cybersecurity landscape of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), indicating a significant malware detection rate and notable trends in malicious URL blocking.
• Global threat landscape statistics, including a decrease in endpoint URL blocks, spam detection rates, and the average lifespan of malware samples in the wild.
• Ransomware trends and notable ransomware gangs in 2023, alongside high-profile cases and financial impacts.
• Increasing attacks on MSPs, including recent breaches affecting multiple U.S. government agencies.
• Persistence of phishing and email attacks as primary infection vectors, with a substantial increase in AI-enhanced phishing attacks.
• Emergence of malicious AI tools adopted by cybercriminals for corporate attacks, including WormGPT, FraudGPT, DarkBERT, DarkBART, and ChaosGPT.

Michael Suby, Research VP at IDC, underscored the ongoing threats faced by businesses globally, emphasizing the profitability of cybercriminal activities and the growing adoption of AI-enhanced techniques in phishing schemes.

Curated by the advanced Acronis Cyber Protection Operation Center (CPOC), the report encompasses ransomware threats, phishing incidents, malicious websites, software vulnerabilities, and a security forecast for 2024. Released biannually, the Acronis Cyberthreats Report serves as an industry benchmark, providing valuable cybersecurity intelligence to benefit users and partners alike.

For more information, download a copy of the full Acronis End-of-Year Cyberthreats Report 2023 here: https://go.acronis.com/cyberthreats-2023-h2