searchtwitterarrow rightmail strokearrow leftmail solidfacebooklinkedinplusangle upmagazine plus
Help Net Security - Daily information security news with a focus on enterprise security.
Help Net Security - Daily information security news with a focus on enterprise security.
  • News
  • Features
  • Expert analysis
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • Events
  • Whitepapers
  • Industry news
  • Product showcase
  • Newsletters
Help Net Security
Help Net Security
October 8, 2020
Share

Number of corporate credentials exposed on the dark web increased by 429%

While there has been a year-over-year decrease in publicly disclosed data breaches, an Arctic Wolf report reveals that the number of corporate credentials with plaintext passwords on the dark web has increased by 429 percent since March.

corporate credentials dark web

For a typical organization, this means there are now, on average, 17 sets of corporate credentials available on the dark web that could be used by hackers.

With access to just one corporate account, attackers can easily execute account takeover attacks, which allow them to move laterally within an organization’s corporate network and gain access to sensitive data, intellectual property, competitive information, or funds.

Cybersecurity incidents now occur after hours

The sharp increase in corporate credential leaks underscores the need for organizations to have dedicated 24×7 monitoring of their network, endpoint, and cloud environments in order to prevent targeted attacks that could happen at any time.

Of the high-risk security incidents observed, 35% occur between the hours of 8:00 PM and 8:00 AM, and 14% occur on weekends; times when many in-house security teams are not online.

“The cybersecurity industry has an effectiveness problem. Every year new technologies, vendors, and solutions emerge. Yet, despite this constant innovation, we continue to see breaches in the headlines.

“The only way to eliminate cybersecurity challenges like ransomware, account takeover attacks, and cloud misconfigurations is by embracing security operations capabilities that fully integrate people, processes, and technology,” said Mark Manglicmot, VP Security Services, Arctic Wolf.

COVID-19 increasing the number of security operations challenges

  • A 64 percent increase in phishing and ransomware attempts – Hackers have created new phishing lures around COVID-19 topics and adapted traditional lures seeking to take advantage of remote workers.
  • Critical vulnerability patch time has increased by 40 days – A combination of higher common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVE) volumes, more critical CVEs, and the emergence of a remote workforce have significantly slowed the patching programs at many organizations.
  • Unsecured Wi-Fi usage is up by over 240 percent – Remote workforces connecting to open and unsecured Wi-Fi networks outside of their office or home are now facing increased risks of malware exposure, credential theft, and browser session hijacking.
More about
  • account hijacking
  • Arctic Wolf Networks
  • credentials
  • cyber risk
  • cybersecurity
  • dark web
  • data
  • data breach
  • hacking
  • network
  • passwords
  • phishing
  • ransomware
  • vulnerability
Share this

Featured news

  • Someone is roping Apache NiFi servers into a cryptomining botnet
  • Zyxel patches vulnerability in NAS devices (CVE-2023-27988)
  • How APTs target SMBs
Spin Up A CIS Hardened Image

Sponsored

The best defense against cyber threats for lean security teams

Webinar: Tips from MSSPs to MSSPs – starting a vCISO practice

Security in the cloud with more automation

CISOs struggle with stress and limited resources

Don't miss

Someone is roping Apache NiFi servers into a cryptomining botnet

Zyxel patches vulnerability in NAS devices (CVE-2023-27988)

How APTs target SMBs

Kali Linux 2023.2 released: New tools, a pre-built Hyper-V image, a new audio stack, and more!

The strategic importance of digital trust for modern businesses

Cybersecurity news
Help Net Security - Daily information security news with a focus on enterprise security.
© Copyright 1998-2023 by Help Net Security
Read our privacy policy | About us | Advertise
Follow us