- The primary method for attackers gaining access was exploiting external remote services and valid accounts, with compromised credentials being the top root cause
- The median time for attackers to exfiltrate data was just under 73 hours, and proactive monitoring significantly reduced dwell time, especially in MDR cases
- Akira, Fog, and LockBit were the top ransomware groups, with attacks frequently occurring outside of business hours; Remote Desktop Protocol was heavily abused in attacks
Sophos has released the 2025 Sophos Active Adversary Report, which details attacker behaviour and techniques from over 400 Managed Detection and Response (MDR) and Incident Response (IR) cases in 2024. The report found that the primary way attackers gained initial access to networks, 56% of all cases across MDR and IR, was by exploiting external remote services, which includes edge devices such as firewalls and VPNs, by leveraging valid accounts.
The combination of external remote services and valid accounts aligns with the top root causes of attacks. For the second year in row, compromised credentials were the number one root cause of attacks, just over 41% of cases. This was followed by exploited vulnerabilities reaching 21.79% of cases and brute force attacks followed at 21.07%.
Understanding The Speed of Attacks
When analysing MDR and IR investigations, the Sophos X-Ops team looked specifically at ransomware, data exfiltration, and data extortion cases to identify how fast attackers progressed through the stages of an attack within an organization. In those three types of cases, the median time between the start of an attack and exfiltration was only 72.98 hours, just over 3 days. Furthermore, there was only a median of 2.7 hours from exfiltration to attack detection.
“Passive security is no longer enough. While prevention is essential, rapid response is critical. Organizations must actively monitor networks and act swiftly against observed telemetry. Coordinated attacks by motivated adversaries require a coordinated defense. For many organizations, that means combining business-specific knowledge with expert-led detection and response. Our report confirms that organizations with proactive monitoring detect attacks faster and experience better outcomes,” said John Shier, field CISO, Sophos.
Other Key Findings include:
- Attackers Can Take Control of a System in Just 11 Hours:
The median time between attackers’ initial action and their first, often successful, attempt to breach Active Directory (AD) – arguably one of the most important assets in any Windows network – was just 11 hours. If successful, attackers can easily take control of the organisation.
- Top Ransomware Groups in Sophos Cases:
Akira was the most frequently encountered ransomware group in 2024, followed by Fog and LockBit - Dwell Time is Down to Just 2 Days:
Overall, dwell time – the time from the start of an attack to when it is detected – decreased from 4 days to just 2 in 2024, largely due to the addition of MDR cases to the dataset. - Dwell Time in IR Cases:
Dwell time remained stable at 4 days for ransomware attacks and 11.5 days for non-ransomware cases. - Dwell Time in MDR Cases:
In MDR investigations, dwell time was only 3 days for ransomware cases and just 1 day for non-ransomware cases, suggesting MDR teams are able to more quickly detect and respond to attacks. - Ransomware Groups Work Overnight:
In 2024, 83% of ransomware binaries were dropped outside of the targets’ local business hours. - Remote Desktop Protocol Continues to Dominate:
RDP was involved in 84% of MDR/IR cases, making it the most frequently abused Microsoft tool.
To shore up company defenses, Sophos recommends the following:
- Close exposed RDP ports
- Use phishing-resistant multifactor authentication, wherever possible
- Patch vulnerable systems in a timely manner, with a particular focus on internet-facing devices and services
- Deploy EDR or MDR and ensure it is proactively monitored 24/7
- Establish a comprehensive incident response plan and test it regularly through simulations or tabletop exercises
