2023 CrowdStrike Global Threat Report — the AI-generated summary
I fed the 2023 CrowdStrike Global Threat Report to ChatGPT and asked it to write the blog. Here is what it came back with — lightly framed, otherwise as the model wrote it.
I saw the 2023 CrowdStrike Global Threat Report and, partly as an experiment, asked ChatGPT to write the blog about it — I literally typed ‘write a blog about the CrowdStrike 2023 Global Threat Report.’ The header image came from asking DALL·E for an Android blogger. ChatGPT didn’t do too badly either; the summary below is essentially what it produced.
- Everything under this line was generated by a language model from the published report. Treat it as a summary, not as primary source — the report itself is the authority.
The state of the threat landscape
The cybersecurity landscape is in constant flux, and it can be difficult to keep up with the latest threats and trends. CrowdStrike’s annual Global Threat Report gives a comprehensive overview of the current state of the field — the latest threats, attack techniques, and the growing sophistication and collaboration of malicious actors. This year’s report highlights the growing impact of cybercrime, and how organisations can use artificial intelligence and machine learning to strengthen their security posture.
Much of the sophistication is driven by state-sponsored actors from countries like China, Russia, and Iran. They use techniques that change frequently, which makes them hard to detect with traditional tools like firewalls. The takeaway is a familiar one: a proactive posture beats a reactive one, and it pays to invest in current technology and best practice.
The rise of ransomware
One of the most concerning trends is the continued rise of ransomware. These attacks are simple to carry out — typically an email with an attachment that encrypts your files until you pay — and they are increasingly profitable. The report notes that ransomware resulted in over $5 billion in payments in 2022 alone.
Attacks on critical infrastructure
Attacks on critical infrastructure are also rising, and they carry serious consequences: disrupting essential services like power grids and water supplies. As the report puts it, cybersecurity is a shared responsibility — not just for enterprises, but for the suppliers and partners who may be caught up in an incident.
AI on both sides
AI and machine learning now play a role in both attack and defence. Attackers use them to make campaigns more sophisticated and harder to detect; defenders use them to stay ahead. The report emphasises that organisations need to invest in these technologies to keep pace with evolving threats.
- Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) across all systems
- Use machine-learning detection to flag suspicious activity on the network
- Run regular audits of systems, applications, databases, and servers
In short: the 2023 report points at the growing sophistication of attacks, the rise of ransomware, and the importance of AI on both sides of the fight. The defence hasn’t changed shape — a proactive posture, modern tooling, and the boring fundamentals done consistently.