Just the thought of an account takeover (ATO) sends shivers down the spines of system administrators. Organizations are highly vulnerable to these attacks, and the reality is just last year, 83% have experienced an ATO. The damage done by these security breaches is harmful enough, but when they lead to cross-platform attacks, it’s a security red alert for system admins and the organizations they protect.

When ATO’s = Cross Platform Attacks

Some organizations encountered ATO’s over 10 times and 70% of security leaders report them as their biggest worry—even more than ransomware. More often, email phishing was the likely source of an ATO, but now, cloud security is increasingly targeted. As these cloud ecosystems integrate and proliferate, so do opportunities for cross-platform compromise. With increased cloud entry points, each opening provides its own unique risk for an organization’s security across multiple platforms.

Cross-platform attacks have numerous benefits for attackers since once inside a system, they can move across multiple cloud-connected platforms and apps. The more these things are integrated, the more opportunities they provide to do substantial damage to an organization. Data theft, company downtime, financial loss, customer compromise, and reputational damage—it’s all possible with cross-platform attacks. The question now becomes, can an organization survive such an attack?

Notorious Cross-Platform Attacks

The SolarWinds attack grabbed headlines as one of the most devastating cyberattacks to date. Russian nation-state actors breached a SolarWinds supplier, unfolding a cross-platform nightmare against their network and customers. Over 18,000 clients were breached, including several U.S. government agencies. Some breached companies reported their own customers were also affected.

A compromised password led to a devastating cyberattack against Colonial Pipeline, a major U.S. fuel supplier. Russia’s DarkSide threat actors got to work breaching cross-platform IT infrastructure. The attack forced Colonial to shut down 5,500 miles of pipeline in response to DarkSide’s ransomware attack. Gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel distribution were halted along the U.S. northeast until Colonial ultimately paid the $4.4 million ransom demand.

It seems cross-platform cyberattacks via ATO’s are here to stay for now. One component giving them a foothold is the human element. Employees lacking cyber-education unknowingly assist with ATO’s. Add to that, growing cloud-connections creating cross-platforms within industries, and it’s a dangerous concoction in search of a remedy. Let’s hope security pros find it.