WebsiteGear Logo Log In
New User? Sign Up
About | Contact | FAQ
  Home News Technology Internet Security Thursday, March 28, 2024 
Add Press Release News | News Feeds Feeds | Email This News Email


Thriving Access as a Service Cybercrime Market Fuels Ransomware Attacks
Thursday, December 9, 2021

Trend Micro Research highlights the importance of securing enterprise credentials

DALLAS, Dec. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), a global cybersecurity leader, released new research detailing the murky cybercrime supply chain behind much of the recent surge in ransomware attacks. Demand has increased so much over the past two years that many cybercriminal markets now have their own "Access-as-a-Service" sections.

To read a full copy of the report, Access-as-a-Service, please visit: https://research.trendmicro.com/AccessAsAService

"Media and corporate cybersecurity attention have been focused only on the ransomware payload when we need to focus first on mitigating the activity of initial access brokers," said David Sancho, senior threat researcher for Trend Micro. "Incident responders often need to investigate two or more overlapping attack chains to identify the root cause of a ransomware attack, which often complicates the overall IR process. Teams could get ahead of this issue by monitoring for activity by Access Brokers who steal and sell enterprise network access - essentially cutting off the supply for ransomware actors."

The research is based on an analysis of over 900 access broker listings from January through August 2021 across multiple English and Russian language-based cybercrime forums.

Education was the most frequently featured sector, accounting for 36% of advertisements--more than triple the second and third most targeted industries, manufacturing, and professional services, which both account for 11%.

The report reveals three main types of access brokers:

    --  Opportunistic sellers who are focused on making a quick profit and don't
        spend all their time on access.
    --  Dedicated brokers are sophisticated and skilled hackers who offer access
        to a range of different companies. Their services are often used by
        smaller ransomware affiliates and groups.
    --  Online shops that offer RDP and VPN credentials. These dedicated shops
        only guarantee access to a single machine rather than an entire network
        or organization. However, they represent a simple, automated way for
        cybercriminals with lower skill sets to purchase access. They can even
        search by location, ISP, operating system, port number, admin rights, or
        company name.

Most access broker offerings involve a simple set of credentials that may have been sourced from: Previous breaches and password hash breaking; compromised bot computers; vulnerability exploitation on VPN gateways, web servers, etc.; or one-off opportunistic attacks.

Prices vary depending on the type of access (single machine or entire network/corporation), annual revenue of the company, and how much extra work the buyer needs to do. Although RDP access can be obtained for as little as $10, the average price for admin credentials into a business is around $8,500. However, prices can reach up to $100,000.

Trend Micro recommends the following strategies for defenders:

    --  Monitor for public breaches
    --  Trigger a password reset for all users if you suspect corporate
        credentials might be breached
    --  Set up Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
    --  Monitor user behavior
    --  Watch the DMZ and assume internet-facing services like VPN, webmail and
        web servers are under constant attack
    --  Implement network segmentation and micro-segmentation
    --  Deploy best practice password policies
    --  Implement some form of Zero Trust architecture

About Trend Micro
Trend Micro, a global cybersecurity leader, helps make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Fueled by decades of security expertise, global threat research, and continuous innovation, Trend Micro's cybersecurity platform protects hundreds of thousands of organizations and millions of individuals across clouds, networks, devices, and endpoints. As a leader in cloud and enterprise cybersecurity, the platform delivers a powerful range of advanced threat defense techniques optimized for environments like AWS, Microsoft, and Google, and central visibility for better, faster detection and response. With 7,000 employees across 65 countries, Trend Micro enables organizations to simplify and secure their connected world. www.TrendMicro.com.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/thriving-access-as-a-service-cybercrime-market-fuels-ransomware-attacks-301434698.html

SOURCE Trend Micro Incorporated



Email This News Email | Submit To Slashdot Slashdot | Submit To Digg.com Digg | Submit To del.icio.us Del.icio.us | News Feeds Feeds

RELATED NEWS ARTICLES
Nav El Cajon, CA: Deep Cycle Battery San Diego Partners with 5th Gear Marketing for Enhanced Digital Presence | Mar 27, 2024
Nav Network Services Market Top 10 Growth Opportunities in 2024 - Self-healing, AI, and ML Components Drive SD-WAN Growth | Mar 27, 2024
Nav New Solution from ControlUp Slashes Organizational Risk while Boosting Compliance and Productivity | Mar 27, 2024
Nav AV-Comparatives: Celebrating 20 Years of Excellence in Cybersecurity Testing | Mar 27, 2024
Nav Sandfly Security Secures Funding from Gula Tech Adventures & Sorenson Capital for its First-of-a-Kind Agentless Linux Security Solution | Mar 27, 2024
Nav ReasonLabs Enhances Industry-Leading Consumer DNS Filtering Product Safer Web | Mar 27, 2024
Nav SlashNext Wins Gold for Best Email Security and Management at 2024 GlobeeĀ® Awards | Mar 27, 2024
Nav Simplilearn Bags Two Awards at the EC-Council Global Award for the Sixth Time | Mar 27, 2024
Nav Lumen Disrupts Cybercriminals Targeting Home and Office Routers | Mar 27, 2024
Nav Asia Pacific Gift Card and Incentive Card Intelligence Report 2024: Market to Grow by 8.3% to Reach $235.7 Billion in 2024, Driven by Entry of New Players Across the Region | Mar 27, 2024
NEWS SEARCH

FEATURED NEWS | POPULAR NEWS
Submit News | View More News View More News