Botnets Evolve as Malware Increases and Exploits Skyrocket in 2023: Nuspire

Nuspire today unveiled its Q4 and Full-Year 2023 Cyber Threat Report. The report provides an in-depth look at the latest trends in malware, botnets, exploits and ransomware, painting a comprehensive picture of the current state of cybersecurity threats. 

The report documents a 187% explosion in exploit activity for the year, buoyed by the widespread use of Secure Shell (SSH) brute forcing and a marked rise in the use of Web Server Password File Access. Botnet activity grew 25% year-over-year, with Torpig Mebroot comprising 56% of all botnet detections in 2023. Conversely, malware dropped 27% from 2022; however, ransomware extortion publications grew nearly 18%, with LockBit, CL0P, ALPHV and BlackBasta driving the most activity.  

Additional findings from Nuspire’s newly-released cyber threat report include: 

  • In Q4 alone, exploits increased by 132.91%. There was a significant shift in threat actor tactics, with a marked rise in the use of Web Server Password File Access, an information disclosure exploit. This exploit saw a steady increase each quarter of the year, culminating in a 133.21% increase since Q1. 
  • While malware decreased year-over-year, it saw a significant surge in Q4, increasing by 89%, with JavaScript phishing variants dominating the activity.  
  • Ransomware remained a critical threat throughout the year, with BlackBasta ransomware’s activity escalating by 353.66% in Q4, making it the second most active ransomware operator for the quarter, and the fourth most active for the year.  
  • Botnets saw a 25% year-over-year increase in activity, with Torpig Mebroot comprising 56% of all botnet detections in 2023. However, there was a noticeable uptick in the activity of other botnets like TorrentLocker, which quadrupled its activity in Q4. 

To access the Q4 and Full-Year 2023 Cyber Threat Report and learn more about protecting your organization, visit Nuspire’s website.  

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