Cyber criminals are evolving their tradecraft with new innovations and increasingly automating their attacks. In the UK and Ireland, Manufacturing became the most attacked sector representing almost a third of all attacks, while Technology was the most attacked sector globally. A report published today by NTT highlights the importance of cyber-resilience and security-by-design as cyber criminals look to gain from the COVID-19 pandemic.
A comprehensive view of the threats impacting businesses in EMEA, the Americas and Asia Pacific, as well as emerging trends across different industries, the NTT Report reveals that threat actors are innovating faster than ever before. Developing multi-function attack tools and using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning capabilities, attackers are investing in automation techniques; 21% of attacks globally were in the form of a vulnerability scanner. Despite efforts to layer up their defences, many organisations are unable to stay ahead of attackers, while others are struggling to do the basics like patching old vulnerabilities.
UK manufacturing under attack
Manufacturing regularly appears as one of the most attacked industries globally. Most commonly linked to intellectual property (IP) theft, it increasingly faces financially motivated data breaches, global supply chain risks and risks from unpatched vulnerabilities. The UK was the only country (apart from Hong Kong) this year where Manufacturing topped the list of most attacked sectors, representing 29% of all attacks, with Technology (19%) second and Business and Professional Services (17%) third. Government and Finance made up the other two sectors in the top five.
Reconnaissance attacks accounted for half of all hostile activity in the UK and Ireland, with web application the next most common form of attack (22%). Reconnaissance activity (60%) was also the most common attack type against manufacturers followed by web application attacks (36%).
You can read the full report at: 2020 Global Threat Intelligence Report (GTIR) l by NTT Ltd.,
