Acronis, the global leader in cyber protection, has released its highly anticipated Mid-Year Cyberthreats Report titled “From Innovation to Risk: Managing the Implications of AI-driven Cyberattacks.” Based on data captured from over one million global endpoints, the comprehensive study sheds light on the evolving cybersecurity landscape and exposes the increasing utilization of generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems, such as ChatGPT, by cybercriminals to craft malicious content and execute sophisticated attacks.

Ransomware Dominates as the Primary Risk for SMBs

The biannual threat report highlights ransomware as the dominant risk faced by small and medium-sized businesses. While the number of new ransomware variants has been decreasing, the severity of ransomware attacks remains significant. Equally concerning is the growing prominence of data stealers, who exploit stolen credentials to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information.

“Criminals are scaling and enhancing their tactics to compromise systems and execute attacks,” warns Candid Wüest, Acronis VP of Research. “To tackle the dynamic threat landscape, organizations need agile, comprehensive, unified security solutions that offer the necessary visibility, context, and efficient remediation against any threat, from malware to system vulnerabilities.”

Alarming Surge in Phishing Attacks

The report’s findings highlight phishing as the primary method used by cybercriminals to extract login credentials. In the first half of 2023 alone, the number of email-based phishing attacks has skyrocketed by a staggering 464% compared to the previous year. Furthermore, attacks per organization have increased by 24% within the same timeframe. Acronis-monitored endpoints observed a 15% rise in the number of files and URLs per scanned email, indicating the heightened activity of cybercriminals.

AI-Powered Attacks on the Rise

Cybercriminals are increasingly leveraging AI and existing ransomware code to penetrate victims’ systems and exfiltrate sensitive information. AI-created malware possesses the ability to evade detection by traditional antivirus models, resulting in a surge of public ransomware cases. Acronis-monitored endpoints are gathering valuable data on these cybercriminal operations, highlighting how attacks have become more intelligent, sophisticated, and challenging to detect.

Key Findings from the Report

The Mid-Year Cyberthreats Report reveals several eye-opening statistics:

• Acronis blocked nearly 50 million URLs at the endpoint in Q1 2023, indicating a 15% increase compared to Q4 2022.
• Q1 2023 witnessed 809 publicly mentioned ransomware cases, with a significant 62% spike in March alone.
• In Q1 2023, 30.3% of all received emails were spam, while 1.3% contained malware or phishing links.
• The average lifespan of a malware sample in the wild is 2.1 days, with 73% of samples appearing only once.
• Public AI models have unwittingly become accomplices for criminals seeking source code vulnerabilities and developing fraud prevention-thwarting attacks like deep fakes.

Major Cybersecurity Breaches Highlight Security Concerns

The report emphasizes major security concerns resulting from traditional cybersecurity methods and a lack of proactive measures:

• Zero-day vulnerability exploitations often go undetected due to a lack of strong security solutions.
• Organizations frequently neglect timely software updates, leaving vulnerable software unpatched.
• Linux servers face inadequate protection, making them attractive targets for cybercriminals.
• Not all organizations adhere to proper data backup protocols, including the recommended 3-2-1 rule.

Acronis Calls for Proactive Cyber Protection

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