Threat Detection: Mitigating the Risk of Vulnerability Exploitation with Commvault

With the constant evolution of cyber threats and the increasing sophistication of cyberattacks, businesses must adopt a proactive approach to protect their data, systems, and operations from potential breaches and disruptions. Early warning systems play a vital role in mitigating the risk of zero-day attacks, supply chain threats, and vulnerability exploitation, which are key aspects of cyber resilience.

Exacerbating the threat is legacy systems, IoT devices, interdependencies between applications, and data sprawl which make patching vulnerabilities becomes a tedious and time-consuming task for IT teams while lengthening periods of risk exposure. Two recent incidents involving MOVEit and SysAid software are prime examples of the escalating threat posed by vulnerability exploitation and supply chain attacks.

The MOVEit attack and the SysAid vulnerability: A Wake-up Call

In May 2023, the CL0P threat group capitalized on a critical vulnerability (CVE-2023-34362) in MOVEit, a widely-used secure file transfer application. This incident, now known as the “MOVEit attack,” has been labeled as the “most impactful zero-day attack of 2023.” [MW1] [PL2] Despite early indicators of experimentation with this vulnerability dating back to 2021, the connection between initial signs and the widespread MOVEit attack was established only after the damage had been done.

In November, the same threat group struck again, this time targeting on-prem systems of SysAid, an IT service and helpdesk application. By exploiting a separate zero-day vulnerability, the attackers gained unauthorized access to sensitive data and disrupted critical business operations.

The Importance of Early Warning Systems

The MOVEit and SysAid vulnerability exploits highlight the critical need for organizations to adopt a cyber resilience strategy that includes implementing a robust early-warning system based on cyber deception to surface and respond to potential threats promptly. By adding detection layers and decoys that look like high-value targets in strategic places in the network and data stores, your security teams can be made aware of suspicious activities and indicators of compromise (IOCs) before an attacker reaches the real high-value targets, significantly reducing the risk of falling victim to zero-day attacks.

Implementing effective early warning provides several benefits to organizations, including:

1. Proactive Threat Detection: Early warning systems shield sensitive data and business-critical systems from suspicious activities, helping organizations to identify potential threats before they can escalate into full-blown attacks.
2. Rapid Response: By providing early alerts, organizations can respond swiftly to contain and mitigate threats, minimizing the potential impact on their operations and data.
3. Reduced Downtime: Early detection and response can help organizations minimize the blast radius and limit downtime and disruptions caused by cyberattacks, helping ensure business continuity and productivity.
4. Enhanced Security Posture: Early warning systems with deception capabilities help organizations identify and address vulnerabilities promptly, improving their overall security posture and reducing the risk of successful attacks.
5. Compliance and Regulatory Adherence: Many industries and regulations require organizations to have robust security measures in place and mitigate known vulnerabilities promptly to protect sensitive data and comply with data protection laws. For example, this blog post outlines how Commvault Cloud intelligence and security controls help organizations to comply to the PCI DSS standard.

Why Commvault Cloud

Commvault offers a comprehensive cyber resilience strategy that empowers companies of all sizes and industries to shield their systems and data against bad actors. By leveraging Commvault’s platform, organizations are empowered to level up cyber readiness with proactive measures instead of staying reactive, firefighting done damage.

Download our whitepaper to learn how Commvault’s early warning system leverages advanced cyber deception to provide early warning unmasking IOCs for MOVEit and SysAid-like vulnerability exploitations, supply chain attacks, and unknown zero-day threats.