App attacks
In its report, Imperva studied 4.7 million web application-related cyber security incidents, finding that attacks are increasing, on average, by 22% each quarter, including a particularly worrying 67.9% surge from Q2 2021 to Q3 2021. Remote Code Execution (RCE) and Remote File Inclusion (RFI) attacks, which target businesses` websites and servers to steal information, compromise servers or even takeover websites and modify their content, saw a massive 271% increase, demonstrating the scale of threats businesses face.
Anyone unwrapping new devices this festive season is being urged to make sure all their apps are properly secured following fears that personal and business devices could be at risk. A report from Imperva found that web app attacks on UK businesses have jumped by 251% since October 2019, with the end of the year in the run up to Christmas showing a particular rise. Warning that organisations and consumers alike are at risk of suffering from a `crappy appy` Christmas, the company is now warning users to stay alert over the holidays.
Highlights
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Developments such as the rapid proliferation of APIs and the move to cloud-native computing are beneficial from a DevOps perspective, but for security teams, these changes in application architecture are critical. The changes in , and the accompanying increase in attack surface, have made their job very difficult.”
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This is also reflected in the rise in data breaches, with a similar report from Imperva suggesting that half (50%) of all data breaches start with web applications. And with over 70% of his web traffic now going through APIs, the risk of a company being compromised only increases. Imperva’s Director of Technology, Peter Klimek, said: “The changing nature of application development itself is also very important.