From securityboulevard.com
A growing number of cybercriminals are developing malware to conduct attacks on virtualized environments, and some are aggressively trying to exploit vulnerabilities already found in software for deploying virtual infrastructure, according to a report from Positive Technologies.
Overall, the number of cyberattacks increased by 17% in 2021 compared to the first quarter of 2020, with 77% being targeted attacks, according to the report. The most popular vulnerabilities for attackers to exploit this quarter were breaches in the Microsoft Exchange Server software (ProxyLogon) and the outdated file sharing program Accellion FTA.
The share of ransomware operators in attacks on governmental institutions also is increasing; they were found in 70% of malware attacks. In addition to ransomware, attackers also used banking Trojans (18% of malware attacks), RATs (13%) and spyware (8%).
Popular cloud services that facilitate interaction and simplify companies’ IT infrastructure also became a favorite target for attackers.