There will be a before and after the war in Ukraine. This is one of the conclusions of the latest Microsoft Digital Defense report by experts from the tech giant. The opportunity for us to take stock of the major cyber security threats.
What are the biggest cybersecurity challenges in 2022?
This year, analysts refer primarily to cyber attacks by states targeting critical infrastructure. Russia is highlighted, and Microsoft believes that Vladimir Putin’s country has clearly targeted Ukraine and practiced a “aggressive espionage” towards the United States and other NATO members.
Interestingly, according to an analysis recently published by the Surfshark company, Russia leads for the third quarter of this year with 22 million possibly hacked data. Prove, if it were necessary, that cyber warfare is in full swing.
Other state actors have made their mark this year, such as Iran, which is accused of carrying out destructive attacks against Israel, but also China, which has “Increased cyberespionage and information theft attacks in an effort to exert greater regional influence in Southeast Asia and counter growing American interest.”
Finally, North Korea has launched several attacks with the idea of stealing technology from aerospace companies and research work around the world, according to Microsoft.
In addition to these battles between nations, cybercrime remains a real scourge. We can thus cite ransomware attacks, although, and this is good news, they are down in Europe and North America compared to 2021. Very often, the installation of these ransomware is the result of a too weak password.
On the other hand, email phishing attempts continue to explode. Cybercriminals are adapting, and even though covid is less scary, they are using other current topics to deceive internet users, such as the war in Ukraine.
How do you protect yourself from cyber threats?
Of course, there are ways to deal with these threats, and Microsoft has some valuable advice for Internet users and organizations. It is therefore advisable to use multi-factor authentication for your connections. Also, don’t forget to update your software regularly to better fix security vulnerabilities.
Finally, the use of an appropriate security solution is essential. We have also created a very comprehensive guide showing the best antiviruses on the market.
