Close
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Menu
Search
  • Latest News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Storage
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Small Business

    Ransomware, Phishing Attacks Rise as Cyber-Crime Increases

    By
    Nathan Eddy
    -
    May 9, 2016
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      verizon and security

      Cyber-criminals are continuing to exploit human nature as they rely on familiar attack patterns such as phishing, and are increasing their reliance on ransomware, according to a recent report from Verizon.

      The report found most attacks exploit known vulnerabilities that have never been patched despite patches being available for months or even years.

      In fact, the top 10 known vulnerabilities accounted for 85 percent of successful exploits, and 89 percent of all attacks involve financial or espionage motivations.

      “One of the most concerning findings was the fact that 63 percent of data breaches were a result of weak, default or stolen passwords,” Ryan Disraeli, co-founder and vice president of TeleSign, told eWEEK. “At TeleSign, we know passwords are failing us when it comes to protecting online accounts. In fact, our research shows that 70 percent of consumers no longer trust passwords to protect them, but Verizon’s report makes it clear that online security best practices are not evolving as fast as they should. It’s up to both businesses and consumers to step up their efforts.”

      Disraeli said more businesses need to start offering (even mandating) additional layers of security such as two-factor authentication, which makes it more difficult for hackers to attack accounts.

      And consumers should take advantage of free additional security measures, such as two-factor authentication, wherever it’s available to protect themselves and their online lives, he said.

      One area that has picked up dramatically over the prior year is phishing, in which end users receive an email from what they believe is a trusted but actually is a fraudulent source.

      Alarmingly, 30 percent of phishing messages were opened—up from 23 percent in Verizon’s 2015 report—and 13 percent of those clicked to open the malicious attachment or nefarious link.

      Also worth noting from the report is that Web application attacks climbed to the top spot for data breaches, up 33 percent over prior year, and the vast majority (95 percent) were financially motivated.

      “We believe the next few years are going to see consumer account security evolving to incorporate additional layers of authentication built around real-time intelligence and identity data,” Disraeli said. “While passwords will largely remain as the first layer of defense, adoption of additional layers such as two-factor authentication via mobile devices will increase and new security services like behavioral biometrics will begin to rise in popularity due to their ability to provide greater account protection and identity insights, with no additional friction to end users.”

      He said this layered approach ultimately will provide businesses with the identity assurance and real-time analytics they need to combat ever-evolving fraud challenges that threaten their own revenues and the security of their end users.

      Avatar
      Nathan Eddy
      A graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Nathan was perviously the editor of gaming industry newsletter FierceGameBiz and has written for various consumer and tech publications including Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, CRN, and The Times of London. Currently based in Berlin, he released his first documentary film, The Absent Column, in 2013.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Why Data Security Will Face Even Harsher...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 1, 2020 0
      Who would know more about details of the hacking process than an actual former career hacker? And who wants to understand all they can...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      How Veritas Is Shining a Light Into...

      eWEEK EDITORS - September 25, 2020 0
      Protecting data has always been one of the most important tasks in all of IT, yet as more companies become data companies at the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      How NVIDIA A100 Station Brings Data Center...

      Zeus Kerravala - November 18, 2020 0
      There’s little debate that graphics processor unit manufacturer NVIDIA is the de facto standard when it comes to providing silicon to power machine learning...
      Read more
      Apple

      Why iPhone 12 Pro Makes Sense for...

      Wayne Rash - November 26, 2020 0
      If you’ve been watching the Apple commercials for the past three weeks, you already know what the company thinks will happen if you buy...
      Read more
      eWeek


      Contact Us | About | Sitemap

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      Terms of Service | Privacy Notice | Advertise | California - Do Not Sell My Information

      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×