Cyber crime groups were responsible for 61% of targeted cyber campaigns in the first six months of this year, with state-backed groups carrying out the remaining 39%, a recent CrowStrike study found. Last year, cyber crime accounted for no more than a quarter of these kinds of intrusion campaigns. According to the report, the figures do not indicate a drop in state-backed campaigns, but rather point to a surge in cyber criminal activity, with “adversaries [escalating] their activities in pursuit of more and larger payouts.”
Jennifer Ayers of CrowdStrike warned that the firm has “seen both eCrime and nation-state actors maintain a strong foothold in networks through the use of stealthy tactics.” The most popular targets of these campaigns were tech firms (30%), followed by telecommunications and professional services companies, financial firms, nongovernmental organizations, and academic institutions.
Read more: Report: Cyber Criminals Target More Firms in Search of Bigger Paydays