The use of backdoor malware, which provides threat actors with remote access to a device or network, was one of the top attack methods employed by malicious cyber actors last year, according to a recent IBM report.

The findings are from the IBM Security X-Force Threat Intelligence Index report 2023, which tracks new and existing trends and attack patterns in cybersecurity. As noted earlier, backdoors are particularly malicious because they can be used to take control of compromised systems, allowing attackers to steal credentials and establish connections without being detected. According to the report, about 67 percent of the backdoor incidents tracked related to ransomware attempts, where defenders were able to detect the backdoor before ransomware was deployed. The researchers believe the increase in backdoor deployments could partially be attributed to their high market value. They observed threat actors selling existing backdoor access for as much as $10,000, compared to stolen credit card data, which can sell for less than $10 today. In addition, the report found the most common impact from a cyber attack was extortion principally conducted through ransomware or business email compromise attacks. And thread hijacking of email conversations saw a significant increase in 2022. Lastly, North American energy organizations accounted for 46 percent of all energy attacks observed last year, a 25 percent increase from 2021 levels. Access the full report here or read a related article at HelpNetSecurity.