Internet Security Report for Q3 2019

If you believe one of the most popular TV shows in the world, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, forensic analysts prefer scrutinizing crime scenes in the dark, using just a flashlight. This particular cliché TV troupe came up while a friend and co-worker of mine discussed our love of procedure forensic crime dramas like CSI (and its spin-offs), NCIS, and The Killing (I recommend the original Danish one, too). We wondered, “do cops or forensic investigators really search crime scenes in the dark with just a flashlight, even when normal lights are available?”

To be honest, I don’t know how legitimate that particular Hollywood crime show troupe is but you can find at least one law enforcement official defend it online. Specifically, that official points out that a flashlight can help illuminate hidden evidence in two ways. First, it provides oblique lighting, which creates harsh shadows and helps anomalies stand out. Second, it greatly focuses the viewer’s field of view (FOV), forcing them to really concentrate on the area they’re examining.

WatchGuard’s Threat Lab team are like forensic cyber investigators who shine our analytical flashlight into the threat landscape in order to uncover hidden digital cyber crime trends. Our quarterly Internet Security Report includes detailed threat intelligence about the top and mostwidespread malware, the most common network attacks seen in the wild, and the top domains targeting your users. While the report includes raw numbers and high-volume trends, the true value lies in our experts’ additional analysis and insight. Like the flashlight focusing criminal investigators on that one small detail that solves a case, our analysts highlight the important veiled findings from our oceans of data so that you know how to focus your defenses to defeat the latest threats.

There’s a lot you can learn just by “turning on the lights” of our Firebox Feed data and taking in the high-level trends. However, the best findings come from the flashlight WatchGuard’s Threat Lab expertly shines into the nooks and crannies of this data. Let us be your cyber crime scene investigators this quarter and solve the case of how to stay breach-free going forward.