Sophisticated spurt of Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) intrusions into critical infrastructure and the growing threat of Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven malware are the top cyber security themes of the week.
Security analysts around the world are sounding warnings that these attacks have become more sophisticated and virulent and calling for extra vigilance and efforts to protect against them.
There are also several claims coming in about serious APT goings-on, ranging from state-linked groups targeting logistics and tech companies in the West.
These operations bring together a combination of known and potentially previously undisclosed techniques, highlighting cyber-espionage as the dominant goal. Chinese state hackers linked to UNC5221 have been observed exploiting flaws in Ivanti Endpoint Manager Mobile (EPMM): Apply to hold back from doing any watering or watering activities.
There have been instances of these intrusions being exploited for obtaining reverse shells or delivering malware – suggesting the persistent risk of unpatched vulnerabilities.
Compounding the challenges, AI-powered malware is also rapidly advancing. Observers have already seen threat actors adopt AI at several key points in the attack chain, such as generating increasingly realistic phishing emails and possibly even computer code that develops and maintains itself for distributing malware.
The employment of AI-constructed videos on social media networks such as TikTok to propagate information stealers exemplifies the new tactics cybercriminals are utilizing to dupe individuals. Also, there are reports of AI coding companions with security bugholes that can be used to cram in malicious code, highlighting the security risk posed by AI enabled dev tools.
The police and other cyber security companies are busy fighting back. Coordinated action targeting Lumma Stealer and DanaBot malware infrastructure this week stirred up some dust.
But with threats continuously evolving and attack types becoming more and more advanced, it is becoming increasingly important for businesses to employ a proactive, multi-layered security strategy to minimize and reduce risks all at the same time.
Experts advise firms to roll-out strong endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions, focusing on timely patching of software bugs, improving employee security awareness training, and vigilant monitoring of network traffic for signs of malicious activity.
Since AI will become more and more commonplace across all areas of technology, it will be vital to ensure not only AI systems, but also to develop an understanding for AI-based attacks as cybersecurity continues the fight against advanced cyber threats.
