Zix Corporation (Zix), a leading provider of cloud email security, productivity, and compliance solutions, today announced the release of its biannual Global Threat Report. Twice a year, Zix researchers publish their assessment of the current threat and security landscape, providing an overview of attack trends and tips on organizational prevention.
“Cybercrime is exploding in 2021 and if there is anything that could be learned over the past year, it is that threat hunters are essential,” says Troy Gill, Manager of Research at Zix. “Companies cannot wait for potential threats to emerge but must proactively identify security incidents that may go undetected by automated security tools. As we enter into the back half of the year, we will continue to see phishing, Business Email Compromise (BEC) and ransomware attackers become more sophisticated and bad actors asking for higher bounties to release data they have compromised.”
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The 2021 Mid-Year Global Threat Report finds attackers rapidly adopting new techniques to target users. Contained in the report is an overview of the new methods employed by cybercriminals, as well as a few exemplary campaigns. Below are a few major takeaways from the report:
· Customized Phishing Attacks on the Rise: Phishing attacks have not only increased in volume between Q1 and Q2 but have also become more advanced, with campaigns becoming more customized to targeted users through the utilization of CAPTCHAs and web certificate data. Websites like Spotify and DocuSign were among the many used to draw in users.
· Development of New Attack Trends: Email threats were found to have increased throughout the first half of 2021, with 2.9 billion quarantined by Zix through June. URL and text-based attacks rose consistently throughout the first half of the year, while email-based attacks decreased in the first five months before sharply increasing in June.
· Business Email Compromise (BEC) Attacks Become #1 Used Tactic: Overall, Zix found businesses to be most vulnerable and sought after by attackers. Hackers have been found to monitor conversations from inside a compromised account before sending more customized messages in an attempt to steal financial information or credentials.
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