Kaspersky, a global cybersecurity company, has revealed a troubling surge in brute force attacks against businesses in Southeast Asia (SEA) in the first half of 2024. The company blocked over 23 million attempts to crack remote desktop protocol (RDP) credentials, a method used by cybercriminals to gain unauthorized access to systems.
Between January and June, Kaspersky’s B2B products thwarted 23,491,775 Bruteforce.Generic.RDP attacks, with Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand experiencing the highest attack volumes. The attacks, which involve systematically testing password combinations until successful, remain a critical threat due to weak passwords, the lack of multi-factor authentication (MFA), and improperly configured RDP settings.
Yeo Siang Tiong, general manager for Southeast Asia at Kaspersky, warns that despite the age of this attack method, it remains potent, particularly as cybercriminals enhance their attacks with artificial intelligence, making them faster and more efficient. Successful attacks could lead to data breaches, operational disruptions, and significant financial losses from downtime, recovery costs, and fines.
To mitigate the threat, Kaspersky advises businesses to adopt stronger security practices, including using strong, unique passwords, implementing two-factor authentication (2FA), and limiting remote access to public networks. The company also recommends adopting advanced security tools like Kaspersky Unified Monitoring and Analysis Platform and Kaspersky Next XDR Expert to bolster threat detection and response capabilities.
For small businesses without dedicated IT security teams, Kaspersky offers tailored solutions like Kaspersky Small Office Security, providing simplified, hands-off protection that is both cost-effective and effective in guarding against cyberattacks.
