A Look Ahead: Organizations to Prepare for Advanced Persistent Threats

Cyber threats are ever-evolving, making it increasingly difficult for organizations to protect their data. Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) pose a major threat to organizations, as they are highly sophisticated, often relying on intricate techniques to gain access to systems and networks. As technology advances, these threats will continue to evolve and become more difficult to detect and mitigate. In order to be prepared for the potential APTs of 2025, organizations must start taking proactive steps now to protect their data. They need to ensure their security systems are up-to-date and capable of detecting and responding to advanced threats. Additionally, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can help organizations better detect and respond to APTs, allowing them to stay one step ahead of the hackers. 

How have APTs evolved over time?

APTs have been around for a long time, but the methods hackers use to carry out these attacks have continuously evolved. The use of spear phishing & ransomware has all become serious threats. Spear-phishing is one of the most popular methods of attack, as it can be tailored to the individual person or organization being targeted. It is already becoming increasingly difficult to tell a genuine email from an advanced spear-phishing email, which is why organizations should use Antivirus tools for email attachments and users should be cautious about clicking on links or attachments in emails. Ransomware has been a major threat for the past few years, as hackers are able to encrypt and extort organizations for large sums of money. Cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin, has become a Key method for hackers to receive payment for their malicious activities. The threats mentioned and more will only continue to grow in complexity, making it critical for organizations to be prepared.

What potential APT’s can organizations expect by 2025?

There are many potential threats organizations might encounter by 2025, but here are a few that could become more prominent. 

Data leakage - As data breaches have become more prominent, organizations have been forced to take strict measures to protect data. This can often lead to data being locked away, making it difficult to access and share among employees. Already in 2023, organizations will see a rise in data leakage, which could lead to sensitive data being accessed without authorization. Organizations will need to make sure their data protection systems are up-to-date and capable. 

Data leakage has been spotted plenty of times in the wild, such as the 2020 sensitive email leakage campaign on the Norwegian Parliament, suspected to be carried out by APT28 AKA FancyBear, one of Russia's military hacking units. 

Data corruption - As technology continues to advance, organizations may see a rise in data corruption. This can happen in two ways: internally and externally. Internally, organizations can experience data corruption from a faulty system or file that brings the entire network to a halt. Externally, data corruption can occur if hackers are able to penetrate the network and damage or destroy data. With the Internet of Things (IoT) becoming more commonplace, organizations will need to be even more cautious about potential data corruption threats. 

Data manipulation - Data manipulation is a type of cybersecurity attack where hackers manipulate data and potentially make it appear legitimate. Using data manipulation, hackers can make subtle, stealth tweaks to data for gain or effect. For example, altering the information in a database or spreadsheet that is used in day-to-day operations could result in malfunctions of processes that rely on these resources. This is another major threat that organizations need to prepare for.

What security measures can organizations employ to detect and respond to APTs?

Organizations can take several steps to prepare for potential APT threats in 2023, including: 

Implementing centralized cybersecurity solutions - A centralized cybersecurity solution, such as a network-based intrusion detection system (IDS), can help organizations detect and respond to APTs. An IDS can monitor network traffic and look for an abnormal activity that could be a sign of an APT attack taking place. 

Updating cybersecurity systems - Organizations must make sure their cybersecurity systems are up-to-date and capable of detecting APT attacks. They should also consider investing in AI and ML, which can help automate the detection of threats and make the process more efficient.

Implement the "Principle of Least Privilege" - Each Admin must make sure employees should only have access to what they need for their role. Thus stopping a spear-phishing attack on one individual from leading to a compromise of all systems.

Using a multi-layered security approach - A multi-layered security approach is the best way to defend against APT threats, as it involves having multiple security measures in place. Using this approach, organizations can combine various security products such as firewalls, IDS, SIEM, EDR/XDR, and Antivirus to help prevent malicious activities and respond to threats as soon as they are detected.

How can AI and ML help organizations better detect and respond to APTs?

AI and ML can help organizations detect and respond to APT threats by automating the malicious behavior detection process and analyzing large amounts of data. Using AI and ML can help reduce false positives and prioritize security efforts based on the most important threats. Additionally, they can help organizations address the shortage of cybersecurity professionals by taking some of the workloads off of employees. Although AI and ML are still being developed and improved upon, they are expected to become more prominent over the next few years and have a greater impact on an organization's security posture.

Conclusion

APTs already pose a major threat to organizations around the world, but there are several measures that can be taken in preparation for the potential threats of 2025. These include investing in tools such as a centralized cybersecurity solution and EDR/XDR, updating cybersecurity systems, and implementing a multilayered security approach. With the right security measures in place, organizations can be better equipped to handle the APTs that may come their way in 2023 and beyond.