NO less than a hundred advanced malicious campaigns are attacking government and business organizations across the globe, Kaspersky Lab ZAO announced on August 16.
They are attacking diplomatic organizations, military contractors, aerospace firms, energy companies, financial institutions, telecommunications, information technology (IT) firms, healthcare, education and other organizations in 85 countries, the Russian cybersecurity firm said in a statement.
The campaigns are tracking sensitive information that can be used to “gain geopolitical advantages or sold to anyone willing to pay.”
These targeted attacks are capable of breaking into security software proven to block some sophisticated malware, the cybersecurity firm explained.
The “actors behind sophisticated campaigns are professionals in social engineering, they may use zero-day vulnerabilities, and they are increasingly using legitimate tools for remote access instead of actual malware,” Kaspersky Lab said. “Targeted attacks are a major problem because the tactics of almost any of the existing groups involve utilizing tools that overcome traditional endpoint and network protection solutions.”
According to Costin Raiu, director of global research and analysis, organizations interest attackers since they associate with government, hold intellectual property rights and have access to large financial assets.
“Getting an early warning on an emerging malicious campaign targeting a certain type of organizations is crucial for entities that are willing to protect their sensitive data reliably,” Raiu said.