Summary: In 2024, the number of unreported bugs exploited by hackers declined, with a significant focus shift towards vulnerabilities in security software and appliances. Google reported 75 zero-day vulnerabilities exploited in the wild, emphasizing the persistent threat from nation-state actors and the impact of vendor improvements on reducing such exploits. The researchers anticipate a continued rise in zero-day exploitation, particularly targeting enterprise software.
Affected: Google Threat Intelligence, Tech Companies, Enterprise Software Vendors (e.g., Ivanti, Palo Alto Networks, Cisco)
Keypoints :
- 75 vulnerabilities were exploited in 2024, down from 98 in 2023.
- Cyber espionage remains the primary motivation for exploiting zero-days, with major activity from Chinese, Russian, and North Korean hackers.
- 33 zero-days targeted enterprise software and appliances, representing a growing proportion of total new bugs.
- Attackers are increasingly targeting security and networking products, which offer better opportunities for extensive system compromises.
- Improvements in vendor security practices have noticeably impacted the success of threat actors in exploiting zero-days.