With cyberattacks being used more frequently against defense companies and other members of the defense industrial base (DIB) and cyber espionage assisting military operations in regional conflicts, experts say the cyber domain has grown in importance in national defense. China-affiliated attackers have been actively targeting defense companies and military contractors, deploying zero-day exploits against edge devices to obtain initial access, according to a recent Google analysis of cyberattack trends pertaining to military operations and defense support. Additionally, Russian threat actors affiliated with Russian intelligence services have launched online campaigns to identify drone operators and targeted secure messaging apps used by Ukrainian military personnel.

"In general, nation-states have fully embraced cyberattacks and cyber espionage as an ongoing endeavor to establish beachheads among adversaries and potential rivals," says Luke McNamara, deputy chief analyst at Google's Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG). "Companies should not assume that they are safe because the nations with which they do business are not in conflict." Related: One in Two Americans Are Reluctant to Discuss Romance Scam Incidents: Gone With the Shame He adds that attackers are concentrating on the network edge and that "pre-positioning is now the baseline — organizations should assume continuous access-building attempts, not just headline-grabbing, destructive events."

"These devices offer a direct surface for attackers to compromise the environment and obtain instant access once a weakness is discovered, as they are publicly accessible over the internet." Related: The Actual Networks of TransUnion Robocall Blocking is the Deal's Main Focus ## Defense Workers Attempts by nation-state groups to compromise DIB networks are not limited to edge devices. Defense firms and military organizations have also been the targets of North Korean IT fraud.

The APT43 group tried to install backdoors and steal credentials in DIB networks by imitating US and German defense-related businesses. UNC2970 is another group that has gathered data on cybersecurity and defense companies. It's not just North Korea.