Linux cloud environments face an onslaught of malware attacks
Don’t run outdated, unpatched software, new research warns
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Linux systems are being bombarded by an increasing number of cyberthreats, a new report has uncovered.
The findings fromTrend Microlooking into the state ofLinuxsecurity in the first half of 2021, examined 13 million security incidents, revealing interesting insight into the threats faced by theopen sourceoperating system.
The report comes when an increasing number of businesses are migrating their operations to thecloud, a majority of which are powered by Linux-basedserver distros.
We’re looking at how our readers use VPNs with streaming sites like Netflix so we can improve our content and offer better advice. This survey won’t take more than 60 seconds of your time, and we’d hugely appreciate if you’d share your experiences with us.
Click here to start the survey in a new window«
“It’s safe to say that Linux is here to stay, and as organizations continue to move to Linux-based cloud workloads, malicious actors will follow,“saidAaron Ansari, vice president of cloud security for Trend Micro.
The IT security company argues that Linux enables businesses to extract the maximum potential from their cloud-based environments, which has helped it become a key component in most digital transformation strategies, and a critical aspect “of modern technology to secure.”
Don’t run outdated software
Trend Micro’s analysis shows that threat actors exploited about 200 different vulnerabilities to attack unpatched servers.
“The applications affected by these 200 vulnerabilities have a few clear targets, includingWordPressor Apache Struts, but services such as Atlassian JIRA, dnsmasq, and Alibaba Nacos aren’t the first ones a security expert would automatically assume to be in attackers’ crosshairs,” notes the report.
Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter
Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!
Interestingly, the report notes that a majority of the attacks on Linux target outdated software with unpatched vulnerabilities. For instance, most of the detections in the report came from systems running end-of-life versions of the Linux server distros, including 44% fromCentOSversions 7.4 to 7.9.
The report also gives a breakdown of the topmalwarefamilies that targeted Linux servers during the first half of 2021, with 25% beingcryptocurrencyminers, 20% being web shells, and 12% beingransomware.
With almost two decades of writing and reporting on Linux, Mayank Sharma would like everyone to think he’sTechRadar Pro’sexpert on the topic. Of course, he’s just as interested in other computing topics, particularly cybersecurity, cloud, containers, and coding.
This dangerous new malware is hitting Windows devices by hiding in games
Windows PCs targeted by new malware hitting a vulnerable driver
Steps to take when your phone number is publicly listed online
