Cyber threats at record levels in UK warns report
22 Sep 2021
New data on cybersecurity trends by a leading expert in the field claims the private and public sectors face “an even more precarious threat landscape to navigate”.
Key findings in the report by the Skybox Security Research Lab on trends in the first half of 2021 cite:
- Operational technology (OT) vulnerabilities increased by 46%:
- So-called ‘threat actors’ are exploiting vulnerabilities at an even greater rate.
- New vulnerabilities are surging, while old ones remain exposed.
- ‘Cryptojacking’ more than doubled in the first half of the year: The explosion in popularity of new trends such as cryptocurrencies presents new attack vectors for malicious actors to pursue.
CEO and founder Gidi Cohen cautioned:
“So far 2021 has seen some of the most audacious and potentially devastating cyberattacks in history— some exploiting OT and network vulnerabilities to disrupt vital facilities such as public utilities and energy infrastructure.
“At the same time, security organisations have had their hands full managing the massive technological shifts required by the pandemic, while also coping with staffing limitations and a slew of competing priorities. The traditional, scattershot approach to vulnerability management, which overlooks many actual risks while overstating others, is a losing strategy in an era of exploding threats and security teams that have to do more with less.
To read the Skybox Vulnerabilities and Threat Trends Mid-Year Report 2021, click here.
