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Cyber Security

One Potential Intrusion is Identified Every Seven Minutes, Says CrowdStrike’s Annual Threat Hunting Report

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CrowdStrike has announced the release of the fourth annual CrowdStrike Falcon OverWatch threat hunting report: Nowhere to Hide: 2022 Falcon OverWatch Threat Hunting Report. The global report reveals a record 50% year-over-year (YoY) increase of hands-on intrusion attempts and distinct changes in attack trends and adversary tradecraft. Most notably, Falcon OverWatch threat hunters identified more than 77,000 potential intrusions, or approximately one potential intrusion every seven minutes. These are instances where proactive, human-led threat hunting uncovered adversaries actively carrying out malicious techniques at various stages of the attack chain, despite attackers’ best efforts to covertly evade autonomous detection methods.

Falcon OverWatch calculated that the breakout time (i.e. the time, on average, it takes an adversary to move laterally from initial compromise to other hosts within the victim environment) for eCrime adversaries has fallen to one hour and 24 minutes – compared to one hour and 38 minutes as reported by Falcon OverWatch in the 2022 CrowdStrike Global Threat Report. Moreover, Falcon OverWatch found that in approximately one-third (30%) of those eCrime intrusions, the adversary was able to move laterally in under 30 minutes. These findings underline the speed and scale at which threat actors evolve their tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), and are capable of bypassing even the most sophisticated technology-based defense systems to successfully achieve their goals.

“Over the past 12 months, the world has faced new challenges spurred by economic pressures and geopolitical tensions, backdropping a threat landscape that is as complicated as ever,” said Param Singh, vice president, Falcon OverWatch at CrowdStrike. “To thwart brazen threat actors, security teams must implement solutions that proactively search for hidden and advanced attacks every hour of every day. The combination of the CrowdStrike Falcon platform with the telemetry, tooling, threat intelligence and human ingenuity of Falcon OverWatch managed threat hunting protects organizations globally against the most sophisticated and stealthy threats.”

Other key findings from the report include:

  • eCrime is the top threat type for interactive intrusion campaigns.eCrime accounted for 43% of interactive intrusions, while state-nexus actors accounted for 18% of activity. Hacktivists accounted for just 1% of interactive intrusion campaigns, with the remaining intrusions unattributed.
  • Adversaries continue shifting away from malware. Malware-free threat activity accounted for 71% of all detections indexed by the CrowdStrike Threat Graph. The predominance of malware-free activity is related, in part, to adversaries’ prolific abuse of valid credentials to facilitate access and persistence in victim environments. Another factor is the rate at which new vulnerabilities are being disclosed and the speed with which adversaries are able to operationalize exploits.
  • Technology is the top industry targeted for interactive intrusions. The top five industries targeted overall were technology (19%), telecommunications (10%), manufacturing (7%), academic (7%), and healthcare (7%). Of note, technology was targeted 90% more frequently by interactive intrusions than the second-most targeted industry.
  • Telecommunications is the top industry for targeted intrusions by nation-state actors. The top five industries targeted overall were telecommunications (37%), technology (14%), government (9%), academic (5%), and media (4.5%). The telecommunications industry continues to be preyed on for the fulfillment of state-sponsored surveillance, intelligence, and counterintelligence collection priorities. Of note, telecommunications faced 163% more targeted intrusions by state-nexus actors than the second-most targeted industry.
  • Healthcare finds itself in the crosshairs of Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS). The volume of attempted interactive intrusions against the healthcare industry has doubled year over year. A significant majority of these intrusions have been attributed to eCrime.

The report includes insights from Falcon OverWatch’s global threat hunting operations from July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022, and outlines in-depth attack data and analysis, case studies, and actionable recommendations.

Cyber Security

Beyond Blocklists: How Behavioural Intent Analysis Can Safeguard Middle East Businesses from Rising AI-Driven Bot Threats

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The Middle East is facing an unprecedented surge in AI-driven bot attacks, with malicious automation now outpacing traditional defenses. Mohammad Ismail, Vice President for EMEA at Cequence Security, warns that legacy tools like IP blocklists and rate limiting are no match for today’s sophisticated threats (more…)

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Cyber Security

Sophos Boosts Firewall with New Protection and Incident Response Features

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Sophos has announced a significant update to its Sophos Firewall software, introducing enhanced protection and incident response capabilities. This update notably includes Sophos NDR Essential, a new feature now available free of charge to all customers holding an XStream Protection license for Sophos Firewall.

This integration empowers Sophos Firewall with two dedicated artificial intelligence (AI) engines specifically designed to detect both malware communications and those utilizing algorithmically generated domain names. This advanced functionality, derived from the Sophos Network Detection and Response (NDR) probe, aims to identify sophisticated malware communications even if they are previously unknown or not yet indexed. It serves as a powerful complement to the Active Threat Response capabilities already embedded within Sophos firewalls.

Chris McCormack, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Sophos

Addressing the technical demands of such advanced detection, Chris McCormack, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Sophos, explained the strategic approach, “NDR traffic analysis requires substantial processing power. That’s why we’ve adopted a new approach by deploying an NDR solution in Sophos Cloud to offload the heaviest tasks from the firewall.” This cloud-centric design ensures optimal performance without burdening the firewall’s on-device resources.

Beyond network detection, the update also brings significant improvements to connectivity and user authentication. Sophos Connect now integrates EntraID for Single Sign-On (SSO). This new feature for the VPN client, bundled with Sophos Firewall, is set to enhance both the security and user experience for SSL and IPsec VPN connections. The integration with EntraID (Azure AD) enables users to authenticate and leverage multi-factor authentication for both Sophos Connect and access to the user portal hosted by the firewall, streamlining secure access.

Further VPN-related enhancements include:

  • Improved user interface and usability: Connection types have been renamed for greater clarity, with “site-to-site” now referred to as “policy-based” and tunnel interfaces as “route-based,” making configurations more intuitive.
  • Dynamic validation of the IP address pool: For VPN connections (SSL VPN, IPsec, L2TP, and PPTP), the system now dynamically validates the allocated IP address pool, helping to better resolve potential IP address conflicts.
  • Strict profile enforcement: IPsec profiles now exclude default values to ensure algorithm synchronization, effectively eliminating potential fragmentation of session negotiation packets that could otherwise prevent site-to-site VPN tunnels from being established.
  • Route-based VPN and SD-RED scalability: The system has been optimized to support up to 3,000 simultaneously established tunnels. Specifically, Sophos Firewall solutions can now manage up to 1,000 SD-RED site-to-site tunnels and connect up to 650 concurrent SD-RED devices.

Additional management improvements enhance administrative flexibility and search capabilities:

  • More flexible DHCP Prefix Delegation (IPv6 DHCP-PD): The system now supports a broader range of prefixes, from /48 to /64, improving compatibility with various internet service providers.
  • Router Advertisement (RA) and DHCPv6 server: These features are now enabled by default, simplifying IPv6 network setup.
  • Resizable table columns: The web admin interface continues its adaptation for ultra-wide screens, with many configuration pages now allowing users to resize columns as needed for improved usability.
  • Enhanced object search functionality: The search field within the SD-WAN routing configuration screen now supports more granular criteria, including route name, ID, objects, and object values like IP addresses and domains. Similarly, local ACL rules now also support object name and value searches, extending to content-based searches for more precise results.
  • Default configuration changes: To streamline initial setups, default firewall rules and rule groups previously created during new firewall deployments have been removed. The initial configuration now only includes the default network rule and MTA rules. Furthermore, the default firewall rule group and the default gateway probe for custom gateways are now set to “None” by default.

Sophos continues its commitment to cybersecurity through a “Secure by Design” approach, enhancing the intrinsic security of its firewalls. This methodology involves the containerization of specific features and rigorous integrity checks on critical operating system files using mathematical checksums. Any detected checksum mismatch triggers a potential compromise alert, enabling monitoring teams to proactively identify possible security incidents affecting the firewall OS integrity. This proactive detection allows incident response and development teams to react swiftly to critical security events.

This update is now available for manual download and deployment by customers with any Sophos Firewall equipped with a valid license.

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Cyber Security

Honeywell Report Reveals 46% Quarterly Spike in Industrial Ransomware

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A new report from Honeywell reveals a significant escalation in cyber threats facing the industrial sector, with ransomware attacks surging by 46% from Q4 2024 to Q1 2025. The company’s 2025 Cybersecurity Threat Report indicates a widespread increase in both malware and ransomware activity, notably including a 3,000% spike in a specific trojan designed to steal credentials from industrial operators.

The allure of industrial targets for cybercriminals is clear, as explained by Paul Smith, director of Honeywell Operational Technology (OT) Cybersecurity Engineering and author of the report, “Industrial operations across critical sectors like energy and manufacturing must avoid unplanned downtime as much as possible – which is precisely why they are such attractive ransomware targets.” He further emphasized the agility of attackers, stating, “These attackers are evolving fast, leveraging ransomware-as-a-service kits to compromise the industrial operations that keep our economy moving.”

The urgency of these threats is underscored by definitions from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in the United States, which classifies incidents as “substantial” if they lead to unauthorized access causing significant operational downtime or impairment. Industry analyses corroborate the severe financial impact, showing that unplanned downtime—whether from cyberattacks or equipment failure—costs Fortune 500 companies approximately $1.5 trillion annually, representing a substantial 11% of their revenue.

To compile these critical findings, Honeywell’s researchers undertook an extensive analysis, reviewing over 250 billion logs, 79 million files, and blocking 4,600 incident events across the company’s global installed base. Their detailed examination yielded several concerning trends:

  • Ransomware’s Relentless Ascent: The first quarter of 2025 alone saw 2,472 potential ransomware attacks, already accounting for 40% of the entire annual total recorded in 2024, signaling a rapid acceleration of this threat.
  • Trojan Exploitation Targeting OT: A particularly dangerous trojan, identified as W32.Worm.Ramnit, was responsible for 37% of files blocked by Honeywell’s Secure Media Exchange (SMX). This figure represents an alarming 3,000% increase in this specific trojan compared to the preceding quarter, indicating a concerted effort to exploit industrial access.
  • Persistent USB-Based Risks: Despite awareness campaigns, external media continues to pose a significant threat. Honeywell’s SMX detected 1,826 unique USB threats in Q1 2025, with 124 of these being entirely new and previously unseen. This follows a 33% increase in USB malware detections in 2023 and an astounding 700% year-over-year surge in 2022, highlighting the enduring vulnerability posed by removable devices.

The scope of the report’s analysis also expanded to include threats introduced via other plug-in hardware, known as Human Interface Devices (HIDs). This encompasses commonly used items such as mice, mobile device charging cords, laptops, and various other peripherals, which are frequently connected to on-premise systems for software updates or patching, creating additional vectors for potential compromise.

In light of these escalating risks and evolving regulatory landscapes—such as new SEC reporting regulations requiring the disclosure of material cybersecurity incidents—industrial operators face increasing pressure to enhance their defenses. As Smith concluded, “Leveraging Zero Trust architecture and AI for security analysis can speed detection and enable smarter decision making and proactive defense in an increasingly complex digital landscape.” His recommendation underscores the need for decisive action and advanced security strategies to mitigate costly operational downtime and safety-related risks in the industrial environment.

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