While many cybercriminals execute data breaches and attacks in a matter of hours or less, others prefer a long-haul approach to harvesting sensitive and protected information over time. The recent surge in social engineering and advanced persistent threats (APTs), ransomware, and other sophisticated cybercrime indicates that unknown viruses and ransomware are definitely means to an end — either for financial gain or disruption of services of targeted organizations.

In 2024, 59 percent of all businesses and organizations were hit by ransomware attackers. Of those businesses, 56 percent paid the ransom, but not everyone got their data back, according to a recent Sophos report. The latest security threats are characterized by their ability to remain undetected on a company’s network for long periods. In some cases, criminals have gone unnoticed for years. IBM’s 2024 Reporthighlighted that it takes 194 days on average for a security breach or incident to be detected (Read more...)

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from Cimcor Blog authored by Lauren Yacono. Read the original post at: https://www.cimcor.com/blog/hidden-malware-and-ransomware