Cognyte I Actionable Intelligence for a Safer World 6 THREATS ARE MORE COMPLEX AND MORE DAMAGING Not only have the tools become more advanced, the threats themselves have become more complex and cause more harm than those of the past. Therefore, any delay in detecting and mitigating threats can cost lives and cause significant damage and disruption to the public. In the words of Prof. Audrey Kurth Cronin from the Center for Security, Innovation and New Technology, “Never have so many possessed the means to be so lethal. The diffusion of modern technology (robotics, cyber weapons, 3-D printing, autonomous systems, and artificial intelligence) to ordinary people has given them access to weapons of mass violence previously monopolized by the state.” 6 For example, while security organizations once had to combat illegal activities on a local scale, today they face sophisticated cross-border crime networks, running complex drug smuggling, weapons trafficking, and poaching operations. And consider the crime-as-a-service model spreading via dark web marketplaces, in which experienced cyber criminals sell prepackaged tool kits that put the power of advanced tools and methodologies in the hands of anyone willing to pay for them. These can include ransomware, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS), phishing, and malware kits. Then there are the growing threats targeting critical infrastructure providers such as public transport, airports, and even hospitals, as well as key industries such as energy and banking. Attacks have increased in recent years, with a noticeable uptick even since the COVID-19 pandemic began. An October 2020 global survey of security professionals in the critical infrastructure sector, reported that 56% of respondents have experienced more threats and 70% have seen cybercriminals using new tactics to target their organization since the pandemic began. 5 When it comes to cyber attacks - not just against critical infrastructure but all sectors - digitization has led to a major expansion of the attack surface, one that cyber attackers are of course well aware of, and use to their advantage. With more and more connected devices and a larger than ever connected supply chain, there is a continuously growing number of entry points - in the organization or via third parties and vendors. As such, malicious actors have many windows of opportunity to infiltrate the organization or even an entire sector they are targeting. THE CONFLUENCE OF ALL THESE ELEMENTS MEANS IT’S NEVER BEEN SO EASY TO BE SO BAD. AND AS A RESULT, ORGANIZATIONS NEED BETTER AND HIGHER QUALITY ANALYTICS FOR MUCH FASTER DETECTION AND THREAT MITIGATION. Christopher Wray, Director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, recently stated, “We are battling the increasing sophistication of criminal groups that place many hackers on a level we used to see only among hackers working for governments.” 4 TREND 1: SECURITY THREATS ARE BECOMING MORE DIFFICULT TO DETECT AND MITIGATE