TechRepublic: “It was a big year for cybercriminals, who made off with somewhere in the neighborhood of $1.5 billion worth of users’ personal identifying information (PII) in 2021, according to a report from threat intelligence company Black Kite. Black Kite looked at 81 third-party breaches that accounted for over 200 public disclosures, and its top findings are unsurprising for anyone who lived through the past year: Ransomware attacks were the most common, healthcare providers were the most popular target, and attackers mostly exploited software vulnerabilities to accomplish their goals. Bob Maley, chief security officer at Black Kite, said that the trends it identified in the report show that threat actors, like many companies, are becoming more agile and capable of launching quick, devastating attacks.  “[Increased attacker agility] is not just a change from 2021, but an overall message. Attack methods are becoming more clever, more detailed, with flexibility and dexterity. If agile attack methods are improving, our response must match, if not counter their growth,” Maley said in the report…”