"Exploitation of Vulnerabilities Have Soared, Unit 42 Report Finds"

Security researchers at Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 discovered that the number of vulnerabilities exploited in 2022 has grown by 55% compared to 2021. The researchers noted that Linux malware emerged as a growing concern last year, particularly since 90% of public cloud instances are running on Linux. The researchers stated that botnets as the most prevalent type of Linux threat, accounting for 47% of attacks, followed by coin miners at 21% and backdoors at 11%. ChatGPT scams saw a 910% increase in monthly domain registrations, pointing to an exponential growth in fraudulent activities taking advantage of the widespread usage and popularity of AI-powered chatbots. The researchers noted that cryptominer traffic has also experienced a doubling in 2022, indicating a growing financial motive behind cybercriminal activities. The researchers also discovered that manufacturing, utilities, and energy industries witnessed a significant surge in malware attacks, particularly those targeting operational technology (OT). There was a staggering 238% increase in malware attacks experienced by organizations within these sectors between 2021 and 2022.

Infosecurity reports: "Exploitation of Vulnerabilities Have Soared, Unit 42 Report Finds"