"Disturbing Rise in Nation State Activity, Microsoft Reports"

According to new research by Microsoft, there has been a “disturbing” increase in aggressive nation state cyber activity in the past year.  The findings were published in the 2022 Microsoft Digital Defence Report (MDDR).  The report showcases trends Microsoft observed in the cyber-threat landscape between July 2021 and June 2022.  The researchers found that the proportion of cyberattacks perpetrated by nation states targeting critical infrastructure jumped from 20% to 40%.  The researchers noted that this was largely due to Russia’s heavy attacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, as well as aggressive espionage targeting of Ukraine’s allies, including the US.  The researchers also found that nation state actors have become increasingly aggressive in cyberspace, even beyond the Russia-Ukraine conflict.  These actions were primarily for espionage and surveillance purposes, but the researchers also saw an “increasing willingness of nation state actors to use cyber weapons for destructive purposes.”  The researchers stated that attacks perpetrated by cyber-criminals seeking financial gain also grew in volume and sophistication from July 2021 to June 2022.  The researchers noted that the two most impactful vectors were ransomware and business email compromise.  The main evolution in ransomware attacks was adapting techniques used to evade detection, a trend the researchers believe will continue in 2023.  Another concerning trend the researchers observed is a surge in cybercrime-as-a-service across all threat vectors, especially ransomware.

Infosecurity reports: "Disturbing Rise in Nation State Activity, Microsoft Reports"