Trellix has released The Threat Report: November 2022 from its Advanced Research Centre. The latest report analyses cybersecurity trends from the third quarter of 2022.
“Threat actors continued to make headlines in Q3 2022 and at Trellix, we delivered a new, powerful resource to support the future of extended detection and response (XDR) and cybersecurity — the Trellix Advanced Research Centre,” commented Vibin Shaju, VP EMEA Solutions Engineering at Trellix. “With this report, we continue to deliver much needed industry research and findings on a global scale and remain committed to helping organisations better understand, detect and respond to cyber threats.”
The report includes evidence of malicious activity linked to ransomware and nation-state backed advanced persistent threat (APT) actors. It examines malicious cyberactivity including threats to email, the malicious use of legitimate third-party security tools, and more. Key findings:
- Double the Ransomware Activity in Transportation & Shipping: The transportation and shipping sector saw increased detections linked to multiple threat actors in Q3. Globally, transportation was the second most active sector (31 per cent) following telecom (47 per cent). APTs were also detected in transportation more than any other sector.
- Highest Detections Seen in Germany: Not only did Germany generate the most threat detections related to APT actors in Q3 (29 per cent of observed activity), but they also had the most ransomware detections. Ransomware detections rose 32 per cent in Germany in Q3 and generated 27 per cent of global activity.
- Emerging Threat Actors Scaled: The China-linked threat actor Mustang Panda — who hasn’t been featured in previous reports from Trellix — had the most detected threat indicators in Q3, accounting for 12 per cent of global activity. The next most active groups were Russian-linked APT29 and Pakistan-linked APT36.
- Shining a Light on Phobos: Phobos, a ransomware sold as a complete kit in the cybercriminal underground, has avoided mainstream attention and public reports until now. It accounted for 10 per cent of global detected activity.
- Malicious Use of Cobalt Strike: Trellix saw Cobalt Strike used in 33 per cent of observed global ransomware activity and in 18 per cent of APT detections in Q3. Cobalt Strike, a legitimate third-party tool created to emulate attack scenarios to improve security operations, is a favorite tool of attackers who repurpose its capabilities for malicious intent.
- LockBit most active ransomware family: LockBit continues to be the most detected ransomware globally, generating 22 per cent of detections. At the end of Q3 their “builder” was released, and allegedly various groups are already establishing their own RaaS with it.
- Old Vulnerabilities Continued to Prevail: Years-old vulnerabilities continue to be successful exploitation vectors. Trellix observed Microsoft Equation Editor vulnerabilities comprised by CVE-2017-11882, CVE-2018-0798, and CVE-2018-0802 to be the most exploited among malicious emails received by customers during Q3.
- Email Security Trends: Financial Services was the sector most impacted by malicious emails in Q3 2022, followed by State and Local Government (13 per cent), Manufacturing (12 per cent), Federal Government (11 per cent), and Services & Consulting (10 per cent). URL was the most utilised means of packing malicious payloads.
