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October 2022's Most Wanted Malware: AgentTesla Knocks Formbook off Top Spot and New Text4Shell Vulnerability DisclosedSAN CARLOS, Calif., Nov. 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHKP), a leading provider of cybersecurity solutions globally, has published its latest Global Threat Index for October 2022. This month saw keylogger AgentTesla take first place as the most widespread malware, impacting 7% of organizations worldwide. There was a significant increase in the number of attacks from the infostealer Lokibot, which reached the third spot for the first time in five months. Also, a new vulnerability, Text4Shell, affecting the Apache Commons Text library, was disclosed. Lokibot is a commodity infostealer that is designed to harvest credentials from a variety of applications including: web browsers, email clients and IT administration tools. As a trojan, its goal is to sneak, undetected onto a system by masquerading as a legitimate program. It can be distributed through phishing emails, malicious websites, SMS, and other messaging platforms. This rise in popularity can be explained by the increase in spam campaigns themed around online inquiries, orders, and payment confirmation messages. October also saw disclosure of a new critical vulnerability, Text4Shell, (CVE-2022-42889). Based on the Apache Commons Text’s functionality, this allows attacks over a network, without the need for any specific privileges or user interaction. Text4shell is reminiscent of the Log4Shell vulnerability, which is still one year on, one of the major threats, ranking at number two in the October list. Although Text4Shell did not make the list of top vulnerabilities exploited this month, it has already impacted over 8% of organizations worldwide and Check Point will continue to monitor its impact. “We saw a lot of change in the rankings this month, with a new set of malware families making up the big three. It is interesting that Lokibot has climbed back to the third spot so quickly, which shows an increasing trend towards phishing attacks. As we head into November, which is a busy buying period, it is important that people remain vigilant and keep an eye out for suspicious emails that could be carrying malicious code. Be aware of signs such as an unfamiliar sender, request for personal information and links. If in doubt, visit websites directly and find the appropriate contact information from verified sources, and make sure you have malware protection installed,” said Maya Horowitz, VP Research at Check Point Software. CPR also revealed that “Web Server Exposed Git Repository Information Disclosure” is the most common exploited vulnerability, impacting 43% of organizations worldwide, closely followed by “Apache Log4j Remote Code Execution”, with an impact of 41%. October also saw Education/Research remain in first place as the most attacked industry globally. Top Malware Families *The arrows relate to the change in rank compared to the previous month. AgentTesla was the most widespread malware this month impacting 7% of organizations worldwide, followed by SnakeKeylogger affecting 5% and Lokibot with an impact of 4%.
Top Attacked Industries Globally In October, the Education/Research sector remained in first place as the most attacked industry globally, followed by Government/Military and Healthcare.
Top exploited vulnerabilities This month “Web Server Exposed Git Repository Information Disclosure” remains the most commonly exploited vulnerability, impacting 43% of organizations globally. This is followed by “Apache Log4j Remote Code Execution” which remains in second place with an impact of 41% and “HTTP Headers Remote Code Execution” taking the third spot with a global impact of 39%.
Top Mobile Malwares This month, Anubis held onto first place as the most prevalent mobile malware, followed by Hydra and Joker.
Check Point’s Global Threat Impact Index and its ThreatCloud Map is powered by Check Point’s ThreatCloud intelligence. ThreatCloud provides real-time threat intelligence derived from hundreds of millions of sensors worldwide, over networks, endpoints and mobiles. The intelligence is enriched with AI-based engines and exclusive research data from Check Point Research, the intelligence and research arm of Check Point Software Technologies. The complete list of the top ten malware families in October can be found on the Check Point blog. Follow Check Point Research via: About Check Point Research About Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.
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