Avast Blog_Security News: Web threats affecting SMBs in 2019

[harlan4096]

Learn more about how web threats are evolving and becoming more intelligent.

How safe is my business online? This question goes through our minds quite a bit as we click around our emails, scroll various web pages, and consent to cookies that track our data.

With a robust internet audience of over 4 billion active users, the web has turned into a playground full of data for cybercriminals. Over 50,000 websites are hacked every day in an effort to steal private information, hold files for ransom, or collect data and use it for a variety of reasons. Web threats are becoming much more prolific – when one tactic gets shut down, others begin popping up in its place. This is why it’s important to stay ahead and remain “in the know” when it comes to the latest threat tactics.

Hackers everywhere are focused on finding the easiest and cheapest way to extract data and obtain as much employee and customer information as they can. Not just anyone can hack a website. New technologies are being released daily to stop online threats; yet hackers are innovating and crafting new methods.

Let’s take a closer look at some common web threats that are popping up this year...

Formjacking

Ransomware is decreasing in popularity, dropping nearly 20% in 2018. Hackers are adopting new tactics such as the recently popularized “formjacking” or “formgrabbing.” This new hacking trend is being referred to as virtual ATM skimming. Cybercriminals are gathering customer credit card information by injecting malicious code into websites and stealing data when the user gets to the checkout page. Small and medium businesses are being compromised either directly or through third-party payment services and plug-ins.

Ticketmaster, a subsidiary of the world’s largest live entertainment ticketing company, was targeted by what appeared to be the tactics of Magecart - a group of card-stealing skimmers that hacked over 800 e-commerce websites. The threat actors accessed payment details of over 40,000 UK customers by changing a custom JavaScript code on a payments page created by a third-party supplier called Inbenta.

4,800

That’s the number of unique websites that are being compromised by formjacking every month. These attacks have happened to several huge retailers including British Airways, Huddle House, Newegg, and dozens more. Although, what’s interesting is the most widely compromised businesses are small and medium-sized retailers. Cybercriminals are collecting tens of millions of dollars by targeting an abundance of SMBs that appear less secure, but are key to supply chains that reach enterprise levels and hold enormous amounts of data.

Continue Reading