The step change in cyber-attacks requires a step change in cyber defences
The nature of cyber-attacks is rapidly changing, targeted attacks are becoming increasingly common, ransomware and extortionware are rife, even small businesses are becoming collateral damage to the new and extensive wave of sophisticated attacks.
Over the last 5 years, malware infections have consistently risen by hundreds of millions each year; during 2021, cybercrime was reported to have increased by 600% as criminals took advantage of the challenges of the COVID pandemic.
Existing defences cannot cope
It is clear from our daily headlines that existing defences are struggling to keep up with the scale and sophistication of today’s attacks. EDR (endpoint detect and respond) systems, with their reliance on signature-based detection, are failing to protect our systems. Even the latest enhancements like XDR (extended detect and response) which use machine learning and artificial intelligence to provide added capabilities, are unable to provide the levels of protection needed, especially against targeted (zero-day) attacks.