From a recent report found and released by VMware, a cloud computing and virtualization technology company, they were able to analyze a reality manipulation performed by cybercriminals to restructure the threat environment in this modern time. These cybercriminals implement modern techniques that result in an extreme upsurge of dangerous attacks to serve targeted and complex methods to alter digital reality. These methods can be done through either BCC or business communications compromise or even through manipulation of time.
Developing cyberattacks
As expressed by Tom Kellermann, head of cybersecurity strategy of VMware, they have been observing a strong link between cybercriminals and nation-states, as these two entities continually evolve the progress and development of cyberattacks that have an evident potential to perform destruction. In addition to this, attack surfaces had been broadened due to the effect of the current pandemic.
Furthermore, he added that there is really a congregation between the digital and the physical worlds, and it seems likely that modern-day attackers can manipulate all they can touch. AI technology and machine learning are also considered cybercriminals inside the world of the dark web and nation-states intelligence groups since they are two of the first few adopters of advanced technologies.
Over the past year, statistics show that at least 51% of cyberattack defenders are undergoing severe work burnout and stress. Cyberattack defenders have also been reported to experience a detrimental mental health effect following intensified job expectations due to their struggle to counter such complex attacks. They have also found it tough to view the new environments like business communication applications, containers, and the cloud.
Rick McElroy, a principal cybersecurity strategist at VMware, stated that incident response teams responsible for monitoring and managing a sudden spike and growth in a large and mostly isolated environment’s engagements are prone to work burnout and consider it a significant issue.
Due to this case, it has been highlighted that the need for creating resilient teams by leaders is high, even if it means that there have to be rotations in schedules, maximizing and taking up mental health days, or any more other kinds of ways to be able to deliver and nurture employee growth and development.
Additional key findings
- Due to the connection of e-crime and nation-states, the threat landscape has been heightened, and vulnerabilities have been exploited.
- Attackers have learned to apply more advanced methods to create more damaging and targeted cyberattacks.
- Cloud security is still a top priority for defenders, especially with the rise of cloud-jacking
