Examples of Cybersecurity Issues: Advanced Cyber Threats (APTs) Targeting Intellectual Property
By 2024, large multinational companies involved in technology and innovation will be affected by Advanced Cyber Threats (APTs) that seek to steal valuable intellectual property. Threat actors that receive funding and organization, often sponsored by state countries or special interests, are executing long-range cyberattacks known as APTs.
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Scenario:
Target: A global technology company known for research and development.
Attack Vector: Social Networking Techniques, such as highly persuasive phishing emails, are used to gain initial access to corporate networks. Once inside, attackers deliver malicious malware that exploits undetected vulnerabilities.
Purpose: The primary purpose is to release sensitive intellectual property, including unpublished product designs, source code, and proprietary algorithms.
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Methods:
Lateral Movement: Attackers utilize lateral movement to move back across the network and gain valuable data by expanding their control.
Data Exfiltration: Threat actors use hidden channels to secretly download stolen intellectual property without raising security alerts.
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Mitigation Strategies:
Employee Training: Conduct cyber security awareness training to teach employees how to recognize and report phishing attempts.
Endpoint Protection: Deploy endpoint protection solutions that detect and prevent malicious software, including malicious threats.
Network Segmentation: Use network segmentation to limit lateral movement in a corporate network to reduce the impact of a breach.
Trustless Architecture: Implements a trustless security model where trust is not guaranteed and access rights are robust based on user identity, device health, and other context factors.
Share threat intelligence: Stay informed about new APT programs by sharing threat intelligence with industry partners and relevant cybersecurity organizations.
Incident Response Plan: Develop and periodically test an incident response plan to ensure a rapid and effective response in the event of a Cybersecurity incident.
Encryption: Implement strong encryption protocols to protect sensitive data, making it difficult for malicious actors to access or manipulate stolen information. Make sure to utilize these technical encryption methods, such as Full Disk Encryption, File-Level Encryption, Transport Layer Security for Data in Transit, Secure Sockets Layer, End-to-End Encryption, Homomorphic Encryption, Secure Multi Party Computation, Hardware Security Modules, and Zero-Knowledge Proofs. Make sure to stay current with the latest security standards and protocols. Regularly update systems and applications to ensure they benefit from the latest security enhancements.