DETROIT – Ransomware and phishing were the top cybersecurity issues for businesses in 2021, according to IBM Security’s annual X-Force Threat Intelligence Index.
The report maps the trends and patterns observed by X-Force, IBM’s threat intelligence sharing platform, covering key data points including network and endpoint detection devices, and incident response (IR) engagements.
The report, which covers 2021, reported ransomware as the top attack type; phishing and unpatched vulnerabilities as leading infection vectors; cloud, open-source, and Docker environments as the biggest areas of focus for malware; manufacturing the most attacked industry; and Asia the most attacked region.
Ransomware accounted for 21% of all cyberattacks in 2021, according to X-Force. This was, however, down 2% from 2020. Law enforcement activities have been instrumental in driving down ransomware in 2021, albeit with potential for resurgence in 2022, X-Force said.
The report identified an average lifespan of ransomware gangs amidst the major takedowns in recent times. “We started noticing a trend across ransomware groups that we follow suggesting there comes a time by when they either disband or need to make a change so law enforcement can lose their trails — and that lifespan averages out at 17 months,” says Laurance Dine, global lead of incident response for IBM Security X-Force.
To read more, click on CSO
