Human risk management platform provider Mimecast published its Global Threat Intelligence report 2024 H1. Of note, malicious links and AI-driven bots in call centers rank as among the greatest threats to cybersecurity defenses, with small businesses bearing the brunt of attacks.
The report analyzed the threat landscape during the first six months of 2024, offering actionable steps for organizations of any size to improve cyberdefenses.
Key findings included:
- Evolving messaging attacks, with hackers moving away from pushing malware to using malicious links as the preferred method of delivering payloads to victims’ systems. Mimecast’s analysis found malicious links surged by 133 percent in Q1 and 53 percent in Q2, over the same period in 2023.
- Increasing use of multiple layers of false information, requiring more interaction from victims in the form of links, CAPTCHAs and false MFA requests. Additional obfuscation layers allow these types of attacks to fly under the radar, gaining entry where malware would be denied.
- During 1H, a campaign targeting Australian law firms used confusing URLs in email messages to send users to an intermediate page on one of several collaboration platforms. Clicking on the link redirected victims to a fake Microsoft login page to access credentials.
- Use of GenAI to create phishing templates.
- AI-driven attacks impacting businesses and consumers, using Microsoft distribution lists to send mass emails that pass security checks and notify recipients of an imminent deduction or charge, prompting them to contact an AI bot call center to collect information. In May 2024, Mimecast detected more than 1.6 million email messages in this type of campaign.
- As observed in Q4’23 report, small businesses experienced the highest volume of cyber threats. Mimecast saw this peaking at 40 threats per user in Q1, with employees at SMBs continuing to see over 2X the number of threats, compared to users at large enterprises.
- Average TPUs declined by about a third, dropping from 19 TPUs on average in Q4’23 to 14 in Q2’24.
“Email and collaboration tools are often seen merely as cost centers, but this overlooks their essential role in cybersecurity,” says Mick Paisley, Mimecast chief security and resilience officer. “By optimizing email security, organizations can achieve significant cost efficiencies while ensuring robust protection against emerging threats. This approach is crucial not only for minimizing cyber risks but also for maintaining the productivity and safety of your organization.”
For more insight and recommendations, download the full report: Mimecast’s Global Threat Intelligence report 2024 H1.
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