Cyber-espionage attacks occur more frequently in Asia-Pacific than in any other region, according to the new Verizon Cyber-Espionage Report (CER) released by the Verizon Threat Research Advisory Center (VTRAC).
In fact, cyber-espionage breaches in Asia-Pacific (42%) occurred more frequently than in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (34%), and North America (23%) regions. The most targeted industries for attacks include the Public Sector (31%), followed by Manufacturing (22%) and Professional Services (11%).
The top actors in cyber-espionage breaches are state-affiliated (85%), nation-state actors (8%), and organized crime (4%). The CER found that confidential, sensitive, or business-critical data is often most targeted in cyber-espionage breaches, as attackers seek out data that could impact national security, political positioning, and competitive economic advantage.
The CER is the first-ever, data-driven publication on advanced cyberattacks that analyzes seven years (2014 to 2020) of Verizon Business Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) content. It contains recommendations for organizations to better defend and recover from cyber-espionage attacks, including:
“Cybercrime comes in all shapes and sizes, but fighting and preventing it is of equal importance. Defenses and detection and response plans should be tested regularly and optimized to confront cyber threats head-on,” said John Grim, lead author of the Verizon Cyber-Espionage Report.
“This is particularly important for Cyber-Espionage breaches, which typically involve advanced threats targeting specific data and operating in ways to avoid detection and deny cyber defenders’ effective response.”
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