CyberWire Daily Lessons from the latest breach reports.
Apr 24, 2025
Cynthia Kaiser, Deputy Assistant Director with the FBI's Cyber Division, dives into the latest trends in cybersecurity. She discusses Salt Typhoon and its implications for global security. The conversation highlights the evolving ransomware landscape, where groups are testing new business models, and emphasizes the necessity for layered defenses against sophisticated cyber threats. Kaiser also sheds light on recent vulnerabilities in Linux systems that risk undetected rootkit attacks, showcasing the urgent need for heightened awareness in data protection.
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Rising Attack Vectors and Supply Chain Risks
- Credential abuse and vulnerability exploitation dominate attack vectors with a 34% surge in zero-day exploits.
- Third-party vendor breaches doubled to 30%, showing heightened supply chain risks.
Financial Attacks and Longer Dwell Times
- Mandiant reports financially motivated attacks now make up 55% of all threat activity.
- Median attacker dwell time in networks increased to 11 days, reflecting detection challenges.
Toymaker and Cactus Attack Cooperation
- Toymaker acts as an initial access broker handing access to ransomware group Cactus.
- The incident shows the threat interplay and importance of modeling interconnected threats for defense.