Most ransomware attackers use one of three main vectors to compromise networks and gain access to organizations' critical systems and data.
The most significant vector in successful ransomware attacks in 2022, for example, involved the exploitation of public-facing applications, which accounted for 43% of all breaches, followed by the use of compromised accounts (24%) and malicious email (12%), according to Kaspersky's recently released report, "The Nature of Cyber Incidents."
Both exploitation of applications and malicious emails declined as a share of all attacks compared with the previous year, while the use of compromised accounts increased from 18% in 2021.
Bottom line: Doubling down on the most common attack vectors can go a long way to preventing a ransomware attack. "A lot of companies are not the initial targets for attackers but have weak IT security and [allowing them to] be hacked easily, so cybercriminals take the opportunity," says Konstantin Sapronov, head of the global emergency response team at Kaspersky. "If we look at top three initial vectors, which together account for almost 80% of all cases, we can implement some defensive measures to mitigate them, and go a very long way to decreasing the likelihood of becoming a victim."
