Recent assessments indicate that roughly three out of ten Russian companies face renewed intrusions within two years after an initial breach. This assessment came from Alexei Novikov, who heads a security research group at a major cybersecurity firm and spoke to socialbites.ca. He also noted that about one in ten organizations experienced a second cyber incident in 2022, highlighting a persistent pattern of repeated compromise even after remediation efforts. These figures underscore the ongoing vulnerability landscape that many sectors in Russia confront, including critical infrastructure and public services, and they raise questions about how quickly and effectively security improvements are implemented after an incident. (Source: Positive Technologies internal incident analysis and expert briefing)
Novikov explained that the majority of these repeat offenses involve ART groups, which are well-organized coalitions of hackers that specialize in long-term access to compromised networks. In the firm’s incident response work, teams often observe attackers re-entering a target right after the initial cleanup, preserving a foothold to resume operations or exfiltrate data. This behavior demonstrates a calculated approach: maintain access first, then decide on the next move once the environment is deemed stable enough to allow continued presence. The pattern is consistent across multiple investigations, suggesting that attackers view post-breach containment as a temporary pause rather than a permanent fix. (Source: Incident response case notes collated by the security center)
According to the expert, 2022 saw the most severe recurrence of breaches among government agencies, healthcare facilities, and industrial enterprises. These sectors were repeatedly targeted, placing them at the top of lists of organizations most attacked within the Russian federation for the year. The repeated pressures in these sectors point to attackers prioritizing systems that control critical operations or store sensitive data, leveraging familiar access vectors to maximize impact. Observers note that the same infiltration techniques are often reused in subsequent attempts, and only when those methods prove impractical do attackers switch to alternative methods. (Source: sector-focused threat intelligence summaries)
The underlying reasons for repeated intrusions, as highlighted by Novikov, include ongoing neglect of core information security practices and slow modernization of IT and security infrastructures across many organizations. Outdated networks, unpatched software, weak authentication, and insufficient segmentation create windows of opportunity for intruders to exploit. The gap between security policy and real-world deployment appears to be a central driver of recurrences, making timely upgrades and continuous security validation essential. The takeaway emphasizes the need for comprehensive risk management, regular security assessments, and stronger governance around technology modernization, especially in sectors handling sensitive data or critical services. (Source: security posture reviews and modernization analyses)
Historically, discussions in security circles have noted that the same operators sometimes attempt to reuse a known foothold or vulnerability from an earlier breach. When those avenues fail or prove less viable, they explore alternate routes to regain entry. This adaptive behavior highlights the importance of layered defenses, rapid incident response, and ongoing monitoring to detect subtle signs of persistence before an attacker can reestablish control. Observers also stress that awareness, training, and a culture of security-minded decision making at all levels of an organization significantly reduce the odds of repeat incidents. (Source: summarizations of post-breach lessons learned)
In closing, the analysis points to two actionable priorities for reducing repeated intrusions: hardening critical infrastructure through timely modernization and investing in robust information security programs. By aligning technology upgrades with strong governance and continuous monitoring, organizations can close the gaps that enable repeat breaches and shorten the time between incidents and remediation. The conversation remains relevant for policymakers, IT leaders, and security practitioners across North America as they weigh similar challenges within their own networks. (Source: comparative threat landscape insights and best-practice guidance)