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   AI is helping hackers get access to systems quicker than ever before   
      
   Date:   
   Wed, 26 Feb 2025 12:02:00 +0000   
      
   Description:   
   Attackers were faster than ever thanks to AI advances, report claims.   
      
   FULL STORY   
   ======================================================================   
    - Hackers are carrying out attacks faster than ever, report claims   
    - ReliaQuest research says encryption of exfiltrated data is becoming less   
   likely   
    - Phishing remains the top attack vector   
      
   As well as boosting businesses across the world, the adoption of AI by   
   security teams and hackers has also changed the cybercrime landscape, with    
   new research from ReliaQuest claiming cybercriminals are now faster than ever   
   at breaching systems, with the average time between initial access and    
   lateral movement now just 48 minutes.    
      
   Interestingly, the report found hackers are relying less and less on   
   encryptions, with 80% of all breaches involving data exfiltration, but just   
   20% including encryption, and many attackers are, abandoning encryption   
   altogether, focusing solely on data theft, "a faster, more profitable   
   approach, the report confirms.    
      
   This suggests companies are perhaps less inclined to pay ransoms, and hackers   
   are finding more success in simply selling the stolen data, rather than    
   making demands.   
      
   Old habits die hard    
      
   This isnt perhaps entirely surprising, as fewer than half of ransomware   
   incidents result in payment , and of those who pay the ransom, only around 7%   
   actually ever fully recover their information - so theres not much incentive   
   on either side.    
      
   The research also shows phishing is once again the top initial access   
   technique, and 30% of these attacks include credential harvesting. Social   
   engineering attacks are evolving too, with voice phishing now behind 14% of   
   breaches - especially targeting the manufacturing sector, likely due to the   
   frequent IT interactions and lenient help-desk policies needed to handle the   
   high volumes of support requests.    
      
   But the findings also mean security teams are going to have to rethink their   
   priorities in the coming months, and in 2025, companies will have to bolster   
   their defenses to avoid any costly downtime.    
      
   The focus can no longer be solely on restoring encrypted systemsstrategies   
   must also address protecting data privacy, managing reputational risks, and   
   ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements, the report adds.    
      
   To prepare, CISOs must implement defenses to detect and prevent exfiltration   
   attempts while developing playbooks that prioritize business continuity and   
   resilience against these evolving ransomware tactics.   
      
   ======================================================================   
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.techradar.com/pro/ai-means-hackers-are-faster-than-ever-research-r   
   eveals   
      
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