Cyberattacks Rise Globally, Call for Layered Defenses and Leadership

Cybersecurity leaders and industry analysts warn that cyberattacks are intensifying worldwide and that many organizations remain dangerously underprepared, with phishing and credential theft driving much of the activity. During the past year, defenders recorded billions of probe and attack attempts targeting enterprises, government networks, and critical infrastructure, prompting calls for urgent investment in layered defenses, executive readiness, and new cryptographic protections.

Comcast Business security logs show the scale of the threat: in 2023 the company identified more than 2.6 billion phishing interactions, roughly 90 percent of which directed users to sites hosting malware, and more than 100,000 incidents that led to domains carrying the Agent Tesla remote access trojan. The firm also reported more than 295 million credential dumping attempts last year and said it detected about 29 billion attacks on customers, including some 19 million initial access attempts using valid accounts.

Experts say those figures reflect why attackers continue to favor low tech social engineering alongside sophisticated tools. Phishing and voice phishing or vishing remain highly effective...