Targeted Attacks and Advanced Persistent Threats (APT) are now

considered the Number #1 attack vector for cyber criminals.

WHY?  Because it works!

What exactly is the difference between a Targeted Attack and an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT).  In truth, they are similar but APT’s are generally thought of as being initiated by nation-states and focused mainly on the collection of data.  High-value sectors, such as; national defense, certain manufacturing sectors and the financial industry are most often the targets of APTs.

Most organizations should be concerned with Targeted Attacks since these attacks could be focused on stealing information, carrying out credit card fraud or simply causing chaos within the network.  This is an attack where an unauthorized person gains access to a network and remains undetected for as long as possible.  The goal of the attack is to gain ongoing long-term access into systems without the end user or IT administrative team knowing of the threat.

Why are Targeted Attacks so Successful?

Social Media has provided criminals with a vast amount of personal information to select from:

• Facebook
• Linked-In
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• Instagram

Using this information, a cyber criminal can now direct Phishing Attacks directly to a specific party increasing the likelihood that the recipient will click an infected link and/or download a Trojan infecting their machine with a backdoor program.  The most intelligent and sophisticated of I.T. people can be deceived if the Phishing Attack is done right.  And, because some of these attacks are so complex many end point security applications do not catch them.

How Can You Protect Yourself?:

Training your staff on Security Awareness has proven to be the best way to help mitigate regular threats to your environment; however, regardless of the amount of training, attacks will continue to occur and some will be successful.  When a successful attack happens you need the ability to detect it as soon as possible and respond.

Trend Micro’s Deep Discovery solution is the best way to uncover malware or other attacks traversing throughout your network.  When properly deployed Deep Discovery can (provide):

• Comprehensive Network Security:  Monitors all network ports and 100+ protocols to identify attacks anywhere on your network
• Detects Malware, Command & Control, Attacker Activity:  Uses specialized detection engines, correlation rules, and custom sandboxing to detect all aspects of a targeted attack, not just malware
• Custom Sandboxing:  Uses virtual images that precisely match your system configurations to safely detect the threats that target your organization.
• Global Threat Intelligence:  Trend Micro™ Smart Protection Network threat intelligence powers detection and the Threat Connect portal for attack investigation
• Broad System Protection:  Detects attacks against Windows, Mac OS X, Android, Linux, and any system
• Tighten Security Policy and Enforcement:  Works with globally leading firewalls and Trend Micro’s TippingPoint IPS to tighten and enforce security policy and blocking mechanisms throughout the network.