"Report Reveals 'Sudden Surge' in Cyberattacks Targeting Government Agencies"

According to a new report, cyberattacks against government agencies and the public sector have increased alarmingly over the past few months, as threat actors deployed various novel malware campaigns targeting financial institutions, healthcare services, and critical infrastructure industries. Blackberry's quarterly Global Threat Intelligence report reveals a 40 percent rise in attacks against government agencies and the public sector between March and May, as well as a 13 percent increase in novel malware samples. Blackberry's vice president of threat research and intelligence, Ismael Valenzuela, noted that these organizations struggle to defend against the threat posed by nation-states and cybercriminals due to limited resources and immature cyber defense programs. The report described the increase in attacks against the public sector as a "sudden surge" partly attributed to "extremely active" state-sponsored threat actors linked to Russia and North Korea. These actors primarily target government agencies, military organizations, businesses, and financial institutions in the US, Europe, and South Korea. In addition, they frequently modify their methods to make their attacks more difficult to detect and defend against. The growth in cyberattacks against US institutions coincides with recent high-profile breaches affecting multiple federal agencies. This article continues to discuss the rise in cyberattacks targeting government agencies and the public sector.

NextGov reports "Report Reveals 'Sudden Surge' in Cyberattacks Targeting Government Agencies"