BlackBerry Ltd. published its annual threat report on cybersecurity for 2021 on February 24, Wednesday. The report revealed the rising cybercrime activities since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
BlackBerry is a leading supplier of intelligent security software and services to businesses and governments worldwide. The company covers over 500 million endpoints, including 175 million vehicles on the road nowadays.
The company, which is headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, uses AI and machine learning to provide innovative cybersecurity, data privacy, and safety technologies. It is also a pioneer in encryption, embedded systems, endpoint management, and endpoint security.
According to BlackBerry's report, cybercriminals have targeted threats to the current work-from-home environment and expanded the number of attacks since the pandemic started. As companies were pressed to digitize operations as soon as possible, they failed to consider information security, leaving staff and consumers exposed to cybercrime.
In addition, the report also stated that attackers have approached several healthcare organizations as well as food supply industries. They achieved to infiltrate software networks and attract consumers by using phishing campaigns.
Various factors allowed cybercriminals to attack victims. These factors include weak email security, overexposure of information on social media, and unsecured mobile technology. Cybercriminal groups now have extremely developed tools and techniques.
The report noted that threat actors, like BAHAMUT and CostaRicto, have access to tools that were previously assumed to be only available to nation-state attackers. This poses a new threat to enterprises, with attacks becoming more prevalent, skilled, and tailored.
Blackberry identifies a growing crimeware-as-a-service business strategy and the hacker-for-hire groups' complexity and coordination. Besides, ransomware-as-a-service gained more attention because of ready-made exploit kits, spam schemes, and risk emulation tools.
Eric Milam, BlackBerry’s Vice President of Research and Intelligence, said, “The cybersecurity industry becomes more complex each passing year as new technologies, devices, and innovations emerge.”
“As the world becomes more interconnected and as new dimensions to cybercrime continue to rise, preparation will become a key factor in successful threat prevention in 2021,” he added.
The continuous digitalization of operations in many companies and organizations calls for the necessary security measures and solutions to prevent and protect them from cybersecurity attacks.
Milam said, “From round-the-clock monitoring to AI-driven security tools and insider threat detection, the same time-tested security fundamentals — and an understanding of how current events impact an organization’s attack surface — can make the difference between a data breach and a successful cyber defense.”
