Cyberattacks on telecommunications infrastructure are accelerating because cybercriminals are increasingly taking advantage of generative artificial intelligence and automation to increase the speed, volume and sophistication of their attacks, according to a report presented this Friday by the Nokia company.
The report called Nokia Threat Intelligence Report 2024, which analyzed incidents recorded from June 2023 to June 2024, details that the frequency of attacks grew from between one or two per day to more than 100 per day in many networks.
Such attacks can overwhelm telecommunications infrastructure with traffic and render it inoperable.
Detailing that a botnet is a network of computers and devices used to launch malicious activities, such as distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, the company said that these types of attacks represent 60% of the denial of service traffic monitored by Nokia.
Likewise, he warned that this type of attacks showed a growth of 166% during the year.
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Reflecting a trend in recent years, the technology company added, the growth of DDoS attacks has been driven by the proliferation of hundreds of thousands of insecure devices, including video cameras, smart refrigerators and smart watches; which often have lax security protections and high bandwidth capacity that makes it easy for malware to spread.
The Nokia study found that 93% of telecom operators’ vulnerabilities are due to lack of security updates or patches.
Regarding Generative AI, the study found that while this technology allows for faster and more sophisticated attacks, telecommunications operators are increasingly using the same technology to improve their response times and effectiveness against cyber threats.
According to the study, 69% of operators are already using it or are in the process of doing so.
The Nokia Threat Intelligence Report 2024 was prepared by several global Nokia security areas, including the Nokia Threat Intelligence Center, Nokia Cyber Security Center, Nokia Security Operations Center, the Nokia Deepfield Emergency Response Team (ERT ), as well as experts in IP networks and DDoS security from Nokia.
Read: Nokia warns of the increase in cyber attacks on teleoperators through AI and automation
“The use of generative AI and automation for malicious purposes is generating a gradual increase in the capabilities of malicious actors and the potential for threats,” said Federico Cunha Ferré, Manager of Cloud and Network Services, Security and Monetization at Nokia for Latin America.
“The findings of the Nokia Threat Intelligence Report 2024 further reinforce the need for telecom operators, providers and regulators to work more collaboratively to develop measures, practices and awareness on the importance of having more secure networks,” he added. .
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