MSPs and their SME customer base continue to be prime targets for attackers, particularly when it comes to ransomware.
N-able's analysis of its 2022 Mail Assure data compared to 2021, showed an increase in phishing attacks over the prior year, based on over 28 billion emails blocked by the cloud-based email security solution. Specifically, phishing attempts against businesses increased from 776 million to 913 million, an 18 per cent increase year-on-year. And there were five million more attempts by hackers to install viruses on MSP customer servers.
In a survey commissioned by N-able last year, MSPs reported that 82 per cent of customers have seen an increase in attempted cyberattacks, with phishing revealed as the top attack vector. As email continues to be a primary delivery method for malware, with many ransomware attempts delivered this way, these types of targeted attacks can provide a rapid entry point to deliver the payload cybercriminals are desperately seeking.
Dave MacKinnon, Chief Security Officer at N-able said, "cybercriminals are clever, and phishing is, for them, not only cost effective but an incredibly efficient tool in their arsenal. These criminals will continue to deliver well-timed and well-planned spear-phishing attacks against strategically targeted individuals within an organization to gain the right permissions to execute their actions and objectives. To do this, actors will continue to leverage highly specific spear-phishing emails with the intent of installing malware on even the most cyber-aware companies’ assets. It’s vital to stop as many attempts as possible at the front door, but this strategy on its own isn’t enough."
