Researchers from Check Point Research released their 2023 Mid-Year Security Report which revealed an 8% global increase in weekly cyber attacks. The rise, which is the most significant surge of weekly cyber attacks in the last two years, is due to both persistent and evolving cyber threats. 

This year has seen significant developments in ransomware methods, particularly through the use of AI, the establishment of hacktivist organisations, and the proliferation of mobile phone threats. While at the same time, older methods have come back into fashion such as USB drives to deliver malware.

AI is perhaps the most controversial new technology to hit the mainstream in recent years. The possibilities it presents for the advancement of cybersecurity are undermined only by its potential for enhancing malicious threats.

Checkpoint demonstrates how threat actors can harness AI to carry out sophisticated social engineering, and phishing attacks by leveraging the tool.

Each cyber-attack is unique in nature, and takes time and effort to carry out, but Automating the these pain-staking processes allows cyber-criminals the chance to scale their work, and go after a wider range of targets. 

“Those same tools can also be used to craft code that is useful to society, for example in helping combat cybercrime, AI is an immensely powerful technology,” said Oded Vanunu head of products vulnerabilities research at Check Point.

On the rise this year as well is hacktivism – state-affiliated groups which select targets based on nationalistic or political motivations. Just earlier this summer, the Russian-affiliated Killnet and the hacktivist group known as Anonymous Sudan, claimed joint responsibility for a distributed denial of service attack against the European Investment Bank. 

“Hacktivism targeting both private and government organisations became an even much more significant threat in 2023. Hacktivist groups aim high and can take down even the biggest national or international websites using powerful DDoS capabilities. Current hacktivists are no longer distributed individuals, but more state affiliated groups that serve political narratives,” said Sergey Shykevich, threat intelligence group manager at Check Point.

Another significant threat in 2023 were mobile threats. Mobile phones are “a tempting target for hackers, whether for stealing data or for covert surveillance by remote control,” according to Alexander Chailytko, a cybersecurity, research & innovation manager at Check Point.

The most common threat to AI was adware, which made up over a third (34.8%) of detected threats according to Securelist. More sophisticated operations were reported this year as well, such as a campaign called triangulation. This method uses zero-click exploitation to control iOS devices to spread malware.

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According to the researchers at Check Point, a majority of mobile devices are under-protected, despite the amount of sensitive personal information and corporate data they hold. This makes them a growingly popular target for threat actors. 

While these new attack methods and motives continue to swell in the industry, old methods have also come back in fashion. USB drives have grown once again as a vector for malware to infiltrate organisations. The FBI had even issued a warning about campaigns where attackers mailed USB drives loaded with malicious payloads. 

The evolving and resurging trends in cybercrime underscore the need for organisations to evolve their security strategies with the threat landscape, according to Check Point. Using both new technologies for defences, and deepening their understanding of older vulnerabilities.