Cloud Collaboration Channels Under Siege: A 75% Increase in Attacks

Perception Point, a leading company specializing in advanced threat prevention, has recently released a report analyzing cyberattack trends during the first half of 2023. The findings are quite concerning, as they reveal a notable increase in social engineering attacks. Specifically, there was a 20% growth in Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks and a staggering 41% surge in phishing attacks compared to the second half of 2022.

One of the most alarming discoveries from the report is the 75% spike in attacks targeting cloud collaboration channels. Popular platforms like Microsoft 365 apps, Salesforce, Slack, and AWS S3 Buckets have been affected. These attacks pose a significant threat to organizations relying on cloud storage and collaboration tools for their day-to-day operations.

The rise in cyberattacks can be attributed to the ease of access to generative AI tools, like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Malicious actors have started using these tools to launch more sophisticated and deceptive attacks. The report also mentions the use of unethical alternatives such as WormGPT to create malicious content.

To counter this growing threat posed by generative AI, Perception Point has developed an innovative Large Language Model (LLM)-based detection engine. This cutting-edge model empowers organizations to identify AI-generated attacks and strengthen their defenses against these increasingly sophisticated threats.

Email remains the primary vector for delivering malicious content, with 1 in every 100 emails found to be malicious in the first half of 2023. Phishing continues to be the most prevalent threat, accounting for a significant 70% of all attacks. Meanwhile, malware and BEC attacks make up 20% and 8% of attacks, respectively.

The report emphasizes the importance of organizations adopting proactive security measures and embracing emerging technologies to prevent and address cyber threats effectively. Additionally, it offers a comprehensive analysis of the cybersecurity challenges faced by organizations based on their size, region, and sector, shedding light on the different attack patterns across industries.

For those interested, the full report provides a detailed breakdown of the findings, along with examples of the mentioned attack types. Perception Point also offers a Prevention-as-a-Service solution that delivers fast and accurate detection and response to all types of attacks across email, cloud collaboration channels, and web browsers. Their user-friendly service is designed to replace legacy systems, providing the best protection against content-borne attacks.