UAE Business: Commodity malware outpaces ransomware in Q2: Cisco – Gulf Digital News

UAE Business: Commodity malware outpaces ransomware in Q2: Cisco – Gulf Digital News

Commodity malware outpaced ransomware during April, May and June 2022 for the first time in more than a year, comprising 20 percent of the threats observed, said Cisco Talos, a leading private threat intelligence team.

Commodity malware threats were followed by ransomware, phishing, business email compromise (BEC) and advanced persistent threats.

This quarter mainly saw an increase in commodity malware threats, widely available for purchase or download. This type of malware is typically not customized and is used by a variety of actors to deliver additional threats in various stages of their operation and/or to deliver additional threats. Cisco Talos also observed ongoing Qakbot activity, which leverages thread hijacking, allowing threat actors to use compromised email accounts to insert malicious replies into the middle of existing email conversations.

Compared to previous years, ransomware made up a smaller portion, comprising 15 percent of all threats, compared with 25 percent last quarter. The drop is attributed to various factors including the closure of several ransomware groups, whether it be of their own volition or the actions of global law enforcement agencies and governments.

Targeted industries:

The top-targeted industry continues to be telecommunications, following a trend where it was among the top targeted sectors in Q4 2021 and