Cyber Attacks on UK Businesses Soar 243%

New research has found that cyber attacks on UK businesses increased by 243% over the summer, compared to the same time period in 2018. 

Hastings-based business ISP, Beaming, found that UK firms experienced 157,528 cyber-attacks each on average between July and September, up from just 45,970 during that same time last year. 

The company detected over 500,000 unique IP addresses used during the cyber attacks and found that the number originating from China more than doubled since last year. They also found a large number of attacks originating from Russia, Brazil, and Taiwan. 

IoT devices and file-sharing services were the most frequently targeted systems, accounting for 20% and 6% of noted cyber attacks. 

Trend Micro recently reported an increase in the monetization of IoT attacks, claiming forums are booming with chatter around how to compromise IoT devices and exploit them for profit. Participants in these forums are focused on selling unauthorized access to compromised devices, specifically routers, webcams, and printers, to leverage these devices for attacks. 

UK businesses are faced with the threat of a possible DDoS attack from botnets of compromised IoT machines like these, but also the threat of their own operational technologies being hijacked and sabotaged, potentially disrupting critical business functions and manufacturing processes.  

Beaming noted that summers have been relatively quiet in previous years in terms of cybercrime, but hackers have shown zero signs of slowing down this year. 

NNT suggests ensuring your software and cybersecurity defenses are up to date and adopting the CIS Controls to defend against these types of threats. The CIS Controls have been developed to provide specific and actionable ways to stop today's most pervasive cyber attacks. Most organizations improperly evaluate risks and end up with controls misaligned to their biggest risks. That's why most security pros look to the CIS Controls to establish a secure baseline for any security program.