Cyber criminals are getting into systems in record time. Photo: Shutterstock
Cyber criminals are speeding up as new security research shows faster turnaround on system breaches, more attacks in the financial and tech sectors, and increased targeting of the Asia-Pacific region
Year-on-year, global and domestic cyber crime increases in both volume and financial yield for online criminals, but new research from cyber security company CrowdStrike suggests attackers are not only more prevalent, but are also optimising their craft.
Based on insights from the company’s threat hunting team, the CrowdStrike 2023 Threat Hunting Report showed cyber criminals are getting faster at breaching victims’ systems, with a record low “breakout time” for attacks during financial year 2023.
The average breakout time – that is, the average time it takes for a threat actor to move from an initial compromise to other hosts in a victim environment – fell from 84 minutes in 2022 to a record 79 minutes in 2023.
Furthermore, the fastest breakout time of the year was recorded at only seven minutes – about the time it takes to make a coffee.
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