Cyber Threats 2019: A Year in Retrospect
Contents
Cyber Threats 2019:
A Year in Retrospect
Cyber Threat Operations
February 2020
Contents
Introduction
3
Continued trends from 2018
4
Intelligence gathering
6
Working the supply chain: a continued focus
10
Threats to mobile
14
Cyber crime scene
16
Diversification of revenue
20
Looming larger: distributed denial of service
attacks keep growing
24
Sowing chaos
26
Conclusion
30
PwC Cyber Security
32
Glossary
33
2 | Cyber Threats 2019: A Year in Retrospect | PwC
Introduction
In 2019, the cyber threat landscape became increasingly complex to navigate: with the proliferation
of financially motivated cyber activity, intelligence operations navigating the currents of powerful
interests and international politics, and information operations attempting to manipulate the narrative.
2018 marked a year of audacity,
with nation states becoming
more brazen in their attacks and
intelligence agencies around the
world calling out other governments’
cyber activity. While in 2019 PwC
did not observe a radical shift
in cyber activity, there was a
continuation of the same brazenness
and even an uptick in operational
tempo from several threat actors,
including financially motivated and
espionage-focused threat actors.
Several trends observed in 2018
continued to dominate the landscape
throughout 2019, with business email
compromise (BEC) attacks growing
ever …
A Year in Retrospect
Cyber Threat Operations
February 2020
Contents
Introduction
3
Continued trends from 2018
4
Intelligence gathering
6
Working the supply chain: a continued focus
10
Threats to mobile
14
Cyber crime scene
16
Diversification of revenue
20
Looming larger: distributed denial of service
attacks keep growing
24
Sowing chaos
26
Conclusion
30
PwC Cyber Security
32
Glossary
33
2 | Cyber Threats 2019: A Year in Retrospect | PwC
Introduction
In 2019, the cyber threat landscape became increasingly complex to navigate: with the proliferation
of financially motivated cyber activity, intelligence operations navigating the currents of powerful
interests and international politics, and information operations attempting to manipulate the narrative.
2018 marked a year of audacity,
with nation states becoming
more brazen in their attacks and
intelligence agencies around the
world calling out other governments’
cyber activity. While in 2019 PwC
did not observe a radical shift
in cyber activity, there was a
continuation of the same brazenness
and even an uptick in operational
tempo from several threat actors,
including financially motivated and
espionage-focused threat actors.
Several trends observed in 2018
continued to dominate the landscape
throughout 2019, with business email
compromise (BEC) attacks growing
ever …