Ransomware attacks are continuing to increase despite recent law enforcement efforts targeting the most prolific ransomware groups. In 2024, there was a 15% increase in ransomware attacks according to the U.S. Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center, with around half of attacks conducted on entities in the United States. Critical infrastructure sectors are particularly at risk. Organizations in these sectors are extensively targeted as they tend to hold large volumes of sensitive and valuable data, and these organizations have a low tolerance for downtime, which makes it more likely that a ransom will be paid to ensure a quick recovery. This is especially true in healthcare, which is one of the most targeted critical infrastructure sectors.
Ransomware groups can gain initial access to victims’ networks in a variety of ways, such as exploiting unpatched vulnerabilities, using stolen credentials, and leveraging Remote Desktop Protocol; however, phishing is one of the most common initial access vectors, according to Deloitte. Phishing attacks are low-cost and easy to conduct. Teams of initial access brokers that specialize in phishing work with ransomware gangs and provide them with access to corporate devices. Social engineering techniques are used to trick employees into disclosing credentials or installing malware, with the user often unaware that they have given a threat actor access to their device.
There is a growing trend of using personal information in phishing emails to increase the likelihood of the recipient responding. The more personalized the email is, the easier it is to convince the recipient that the email is genuine. Given the number of data breaches now occurring, there is no shortage of sensitive data on the dark web that cybercriminals can use to make their phishing campaigns more effective, and with AI tools widely available, personalizing phishing emails has never been easier. AI is also extensively used in phishing to create plausible lures in perfect English, which can make it difficult to distinguish phishing emails from the genuine communications they impersonate.
With so many cyberattacks having phishing as the initial access vector, businesses need to ensure that they have effective email security. The core solution for blocking phishing attacks is a spam filtering service or anti-spam software. Since cybercriminals are using LLM tools to craft their phishing emails, corporate email filters also need to incorporate AI and machine learning tools to ensure these emails are detected. Machine learning is used to determine how emails deviate from the emails normally received by the business.
In order for an enterprise spam filter to be effective at blocking malware threats, email attachments must be subjected to behavioral analysis, rather than relying on signature-based detection using traditional anti-virus software. Threat actors are using AI to rapidly develop malware and alter existing malware variants to defeat signature-based detection mechanisms. You should therefore ensure your email security solution includes email sandboxing, where suspicious attachments are sent to be safely detonated and have their behavior inspected.
The SpamTitan cloud-based anti-spam service from TitanHQ incorporates these features to provide cutting-edge protection against phishing and malware threats. In independent tests at VirusBulletin in Q3 and Q4, 2024, the engine that powers SpamTitan was rated joint 1st (Q3) and 1st (Q4) due to the highly accurate detection rate. In both rounds of tests, SpamTitan blocked 100% of malware and 100% of phishing emails with a 0% false positive rate.
In addition to a spam filter, businesses need to ensure that their workforce is trained to recognize and avoid phishing threats. Regular training will help to develop a security culture and eradicate risky practices so that if a threat is encountered by an employee, it will be recognized and reported to the security team. Phishing simulation data from the SafeTitan security awareness training platform has shown that susceptibility to phishing emails can be reduced by up to 80% with regular security awareness training and phishing simulations. To find out more about how you can improve your defenses against phishing, malware, ransomware, and other cyber threats, give the TitanHQ team a call. All titanHQ solutions are available on a free trial to allow you to see for yourself the difference they make.