A cybercriminal can attack our computers through many different methods. It could send malware, carry out Phishing attacks, control our connections … Now, something essential to avoid problems is to detect these threats as soon as possible. But, how long can an attacker spend in our network without being detected? That could give you a head start in achieving your goal.
They can spend more than 10 days on a network without being detected
A hacker does not enter our network and we automatically detect him. You will have a significant margin that you could use to infect other devices, record our data and search for any vulnerabilities.
In fact, on average it spends 11 days according to a report by Sophos. That time, a week and a half, allows them to be free to carry out all kinds of activities without the victim being conscious.
Security measures are not always effective, plus an intruder on our network doesn’t always show signs from the start. This allows it to remain hidden longer. They use different methods to achieve it.
The remote desktop, widely used in network attacks
Something that the Sophos study also shows, beyond the fact that attackers can spend 11 days within a network without the victim knowing it, is that the use of remote desktop for attacks has increased a lot. In fact, they represent 90% of all threats.
To prevent these remote desktop-based attacks, users can use techniques such as two-factor authentication or the use of VPN. Now, this is disabled if the intruder is already on the network.
Another very important threat that has been present in attacks in recent months, as indicated by Sophos, is ransomware . As we know, it is a technique through which cybercriminals encrypt files and systems with the aim of demanding a financial ransom in return.
In fact, the very moment when the ransomware is executed is when the victim is aware that there are intruders on the network. In other words, an attacker can go undetected for days, preparing his strategy, and it is just after executing the ransomware attack that he is detected.
Protect our equipment, something fundamental
All this means that we must always maintain security on our devices and networks. It is very important to have security programs that can protect us. This we must apply to any operating system or device that we are using. There are many threats that affect networks.
It will also be vital to keep equipment up to date . There are many security flaws that can appear. Many types of vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers. Hence we must add all available patches.
But if there is something really important to maintain security, it is common sense . You have to avoid making mistakes that can be exploited by hackers to carry out their attacks. For example downloading a malicious file by email or opening a fraudulent link.
