The latest Acronis Cyber Readiness Report found that as hackers target remote workers, phishing, distributed denial of service (DDoS), and videoconferencing attacks are the most common tactics used.
Ninety-two percent (92%) of the 3,400 global companies said they adapted new technologies as the workforce has to shift to telecommuting as a measure to prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.
The new setup requires not just one but several sets of digital solutions to ensure business continuity and secure corporate data stored and exchanged through the cloud.
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As other previous studies attest, remote work opened opportunities for cybercriminals to exploit. The kind of cybersecurity posture in organizations is absent in telecommuting wherein employees use individual devices. And as videoconferencing has become the primary means of communications during lockdowns imposed by the governments, Acronis found that 39% of the companies experienced a videoconferencing attack in the past three months.
Acronis Cyber Protect15
Acronis Cyber Protection Operating Centers (CPOCs) found that 35% of customer endpoints were exposed to malware attacks that were still getting through before the deployment of Acronis Cyber Protect.
The survey also saw an increase in ransomware attacks during the period with 31% of companies reporting daily cyberattacks and half (50%) being targeted at least once a week.
With only 2% of companies using URL filtering when evaluating a cybersecurity solution, it came as no surprise to the Acronis researchers that phishing attacks are increasing exponentially. That oversight leaves remote workers vulnerable to phishing sites — Acronis CPOCs discovered that approximately 10% of users clicked on malicious websites in May, June, and July.
Artificial intelligence
With all these findings, Swiss — but Singapore-based — company Acronis developed the Acronis Cyber Protect 15, which is aimed at addressing all pain points in remote working. Its unique integration of data protection and next-generation cybersecurity capabilities including AI (artificial intelligence)-based behavioral detection that stops zero-day attacks, URL filtering, vulnerability assessments, videoconference protection, and automated patch management, organizations protect against modern cyberthreats while ensuring they can recover their data and systems faster than any other solution.
Testing by independent cybersecurity labs such as AV-Test and Virus Bulletin shows that Acronis Cyber Protect’s antimalware detects 100% of malware attacks with zero false positives. If the GPS manufacturer had Acronis Cyber Protect, it would never have paid a $10 million ransom.
Based on the current cyberattack rate, the unique integration of backup and cybersecurity enables Acronis Cyber Protect to prevent an estimated $150 million in direct losses for its customers each year.