In the latest edition of Global Threat Intelligence A report from BlackBerry, the former smartphone giant, shows that the company’s cybersecurity department stopped more than 1.5 million cyberattacks in 90 days.
Since the publication of the first quarterly edition in January 2023, Blackberry’s report has quickly become one of the most important reference books in the cybersecurity industry. The report is used worldwide by cybersecurity professionals and security managers, among others, to keep up to date with the latest threats and challenges.
Crypto is ripe for scammers
BlackBerry’s cybersecurity solutions division has identified the crypto industry as vulnerable to scammers. Attackers expand their capabilities with control bypass tools. These tools aim to bypass the defensive controls of older signature and hash based solutions.
Financial services, healthcare and the government sector are three targets where most attacks take place. The BlackBerry report again underscores the importance of securing and protecting data carriers in these areas.
Various malware tools
BlackBerry’s telemetry division has identified an ongoing trend in the use of malware like “RedLine” and “SmokeLoader”. Using these malware tools, cyber criminals are able to extract sensitive data such as credit card and cryptocurrency details from their victims.
One of the most well-known malicious programs that repeatedly appears as a major threat is “SmokeLoader”. Ever since it first appeared in 2011, this malware tool has gained widespread popularity. Initially, this malware tool was associated with Russian cyber criminals and it is still widely used.
The crypto industry is also a victim
Through spearfishing, In the case of e-mail scams (or other means of electronic communication specifically targeted at individuals) and e-mail spam, scammers attempt to penetrate their victims’ systems. In the crypto industry, this malware is mainly distributed via crypto mining software.
Another popular malware is RaccoonStealer. This malware is designed to steal browser cookies, passwords and auto-filled web browser details from victims. This is how the scammers manage to sneakily get the information to hack crypto wallets.
Various operating systems in sight
In general, users of the Linux operating system are an active target of cyber criminals. Partly because this operating system is used to mine Monero (XMR), a coin primarily focused on privacy.
Apple operating system users are also facing a new form of malware threat called Atomic macOS. Designed specifically for macOS, this malware tool is designed to collect private key credentials and sensitive information from crypto wallets.
Attacks by country or region
The cybersecurity report also shows that BlackBerry managed to prevent most of the attacks in the US. The Cybersecurity Department notes that there has been a significant increase in cyberattacks in the Asian regions, particularly South Korea and Japan.
