20,000+ new vulnerability reports predicted for 2020, shattering previous records

Over 9,000 new vulnerabilities have been reported in the first six months of 2020, and we are on track to see more than 20,000 new vulnerability reports this year — a new record, Skybox Security reveals.

Reshaping the way that people work

• 50% increase in mobile vulnerabilities highlights dangers of blurring line between corporate and personal networks
• Ransomware thrives during COVID-19 pandemic, with new samples increasing by 72%
• Attacks on critical infrastructure, including healthcare companies and research labs, have added to chaos

“The global COVID-19 pandemic has completely reshaped the way that organizations and their employees work” said Ron Davidson, VP of R&D and CTO for Skybox Security.

“With the majority of the workforce now working remotely, the network perimeter has significantly widened – securing this perimeter now needs to be a top strategic priority. Organizations need to be able to identify the flaws that sit within both personal and professional devices.

“They also need to be able to model their expanded network so that they can understand all potential attack vectors. If they do not have these capabilities, then they will not be able to manage the mass of 20,000 new vulnerabilities, leaving them vulnerable to attack; something that they cannot afford at a time of global financial uncertainty.”

Increase of ransomware’s popularity

Also notable in the report is the increase of ransomware’s popularity, with the number of new samples rising by 72% over the first half of the year.

Sivan Nir, Threat Intelligence Team Leader for Skybox Security, commented on this rise. “We observed 77 ransomware campaigns during the first few months of the pandemic – including several on mission-critical research labs and healthcare companies.

“The focus and the capability of attackers is clear: they have the means to impart serious financial and reputational harm on organizations. The need for focused remediation strategies that are informed by full network visibility and contextual, data-rich intelligence has never been more pressing.”

Increase in mobile vulnerabilities

The report further reveals that the volume of mobile vulnerabilities has increased by 50 percent. This increase is wholly driven by new Android deficiencies (which increased by 110 percent from 230 last year to 484 this year), after the number of new iOS vulnerabilities dropped by 23 percent from 152 to 117.

In previous years such an increase may not have concerned security leaders, but after COVID-19 pandemic blurred the line between corporate and domestic spaces it underlines the importance of securing all possible access points.

In order to weather the pandemic and the resulting new threat landscape, organizations need to incorporate accurate, up-to-date threat intelligence into their vulnerability management strategy.