Cyber-attacks occurring more frequently and with greater sophistication, NTT Security report finds

Omaha, NE, August 8, 2017 – The frequency and sophistication of cyber attacks continues to rise globally according to research data from the Global Threat Intelligence Center (GTIC) 2017 Q2 Threat Intelligence Report released by NTT Security, an NTT Group company. The report, based on events identified across the NTT Security global client base during the second quarter of 2017, identifies trending threats and enables the company to implement IT security assessment and incident response tactics to stay ahead of hackers, and maintain the best protection for their clientele.

Of the extensive information included in the report, four findings are of extreme interest and concern:

• Cyber attacks were up 24% globally during Q2 2017 
• Manufacturers continue to be a key target for cybercriminals 
• 67% of malware attacks were delivered by phishing emails 
• The speed of attacks continues to increase exponentially once proof of concept code is released

“Our Global Threat Intelligence Centers are constantly monitoring cyber activities on a global scale and providing us with great insight as to which industries cybercriminals are targeting, why they’re targeting these areas, and how they may do so moving forward,” said Jon Heimerl, Manager, Threat Intelligence Communication Team, NTT Security.  “This latest GTIC 2017 Q2 Threat Intelligence Report documents that hackers continue to target the manufacturing sector, which should be a red flag for CISOs across this market segment.” 

According to the GTIC 2017 Q2 Threat Intelligence Report’s latest findings, 34% of all documented attacks targeted manufacturers. Moreover, manufacturers appear in the top three targets in five of the six geographic regions globally. “This is no coincidence,” continued Heimerl. “The motivations for these attacks are often criminal in nature, including extortion via ransomware, industrial espionage, and theft of data such as account numbers. What poses an even greater problem is that when these breaches are successful, yet go undetected, they allow hackers to establish footholds in organizations’ networks where they have free reign to wreak havoc over extended periods. This is a problem if we consider that 37% of manufacturers recently surveyed (https://www.nttcomsecurity.com/us/risk-value-2017/), indicated they do not have an incident response plan in place. This is very concerning as manufacturers’ IT security liabilities often impacted not just the manufacturing organizations, but suppliers, as well as related industries and consumers.”

The insights from this research data support and enable NTT Security to deliver more strategic and comprehensive cyber-attack detection and prevention services. This unique approach of combining products, systems and services into a comprehensive end-to-end solution provides the company’s extensive base of clients with proven business resilience. A holistic source for IT security systems technologies and solutions, NTT Security and affiliated NTT Group partners – Dimension Data, NTT Communications and NTT DATA – are aligned to help existing and new potential clients achieve their specific digital transformation objectives with the highest levels of efficiency, scalability and cost-efficiency.  

The extensive portfolio of IT security services available from NTT Security falls into three categories: Strategic Consulting, Managed Security and Technical Consulting. Whether applied independently or in combination, NTT Security provides the foundation for a purpose-built Managed Security and Professional Services platform, encompassing advanced analytics and globally implemented threat intelligence supported by experienced IT security experts. 

Download the Global Threat Intelligence Center (GTIC) 2017 Q2 Threat Intelligence Report at: https://www.nttcomsecurity.com/us/gtic-2017-q2-threat-intelligence-report/