The cyber threat situation outlined

The Cyber Security Report by Swisscom is published annually and addresses the current cyber threat. In the latest report, the authors focus on the topic of Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs). "APTs are targeted attacks by unauthorized individuals who want to gain access to a network and remain undetected for as long as possible," says Panos Zarkadakis, co-author of the Cyber Security Report. Such hackers would deliberately choose a target to gain access to certain data or to disrupt certain services. They would often use extremely specialized tools, some of which would have been created specifically for this attack. Their goal: to gather as much information as possible in order to cause as much damage as possible. The attacks target both critical infrastructures and confidential data of government agencies or companies in any industry. In contrast to APTs, extortion software (Ransomware) spread widely to find many victims, Zarkadakis said.

The report also looks into the question of how hackers proceed in order to reach their target. In addition, the different motivations for an attack are also discussed. The 30-page report also shows which countermeasures are particularly effective.

Threat Radar

Attackers are increasingly profiting from the rising value of virtual assets, which increases the motivation for a targeted attack. The fact that the physical and virtual worlds, combined with new technologies, are increasingly converging is known to every company treading the digital path. All of this presents new attack opportunities. The threat radar shown in the report (see figure), which is divided into seven segments, outlines a picture of the situation: this ranges from observation to early detection to the focal point of current cyber threats. (rs)