According to Microsoft’s recent threat brief, email still remains the #1 attack vector, but the good news is 98% of attacks can be prevented by implementing basic security measures.
To stay ahead of today’s most malicious threats, security teams need to vigilantly protect every main attack surface, including email, identity, endpoint, Internet of Things (IoT), cloud and external. In addition, a holistic view into the threat landscape provided by comprehensive threat intelligence is foundational to your security team’s ability to quickly and effectively prevent breaches.
Microsoft dissected how organizations can protect all of their attack surfaces in their recent threat brief.
1. Top Threat Vector – Email
For most of us, email is critical to our daily professional and personal lives. Threat actors take advantage of our reliance on digital communication and each year the number of phishing attacks increases, with a 61% increase seen between 2021 and 2022.
2. Expanded Identity Landscape
As more organizations move data and infrastructure to a cloud environment, it’s imperative for security teams to focus on securing access. According to the 2022 Microsoft Digital Defense Report, “The number of password attacks rose to an estimated 921 attacks every second in 2022 — a 74% increase from 2021.”
3. Endpoint Blind Spots
With more employees working in a remote or hybrid arrangement, the number of unmanaged devices has dramatically increased. On average, organizations have about 3,500 unsecured devices and users are 71% more likely to be infected on these devices.
4. Increasing IoT Threats
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), there will be 41.6 billion connected Internet of Things (IoT) devices by 2025. A recent Ponemon Institute Research Report highlighted that 60% of security professionals identified IoT security as the most vulnerable part of their infrastructure.
5. Cloud Ecosystem Security
Many organizations rely on cloud infrastructure for storage of critical data and other essential business operations. This shift to the cloud presents many more attack vectors for cybercriminals to exploit. In fact, Microsoft reported that 84% of organizations that fell victim to ransomware attacks did not integrate their multi-cloud assets with their security tooling.
6. External Attack Surface Vulnerabilities
As the internet expands, so do the number of attack surfaces your organization needs to defend. Ponemon reported that 53% of organizations had experienced at least one data breach caused by a third party in the past 2 years, costing an average of $7.5 million to remediate.
With the increased complexity of the threat landscape, it’s time that organizations combine world-class technology with real-time human intelligence to enhance their email security posture. Combined with cutting-edge SAT, which helps empower a crowdsourced global network, organizations can rest assured they are protecting their most valuable assets.
