Page 30 - Cyber Defense Magazine for August 2020
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Is What’s Lurking in Your Network About to Come Out?

              The COVID-19 crisis was an unprecedented opportunity for attackers. Now, many may be ready to
                                                           strike.

                                By Carolyn Crandall, Chief Deception Officer, Attivo Networks


            The COVID-19 pandemic has forced countless millions of people to work remotely, and the rush to enable
            that remote work created opportunities for attackers to infiltrate corporate networks due to new devices,
            unmanaged endpoints, security gaps, and other issues. Now that the initial adjustment period is over,
            some businesses believe that the imminent danger has passed because they have yet to experience an
            attack. Unfortunately, this may not be the case. There is reason to believe that attackers may be hiding
            under the surface, lurking in corporate networks, and preparing to emerge and do damage. We will likely
            soon see new attacks as attackers begin to make their demands known.


            Why Now?
            Recent  studies  show  that  dwell  time—the  period  that  attackers  spend  inside  the  network  before
            detection—is now just under 60 days for incidents discovered externally, though this can expand into
            months or even years for more advanced attacks. As the COVID-19 lockdown pushes past its third month,






            Cyber Defense eMagazine – August 2020 Edition                                                                                                                                                                                                                        30
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