RecordedFuture Cyber Threat Analysis Report 2024

Keypoints

• The annual cybersecurity reports from major vendors typically feature sections such as Foreword, Executive Summary, Key Findings, detailed analysis of attack trends, threat actor behaviors, and future predictions, providing a comprehensive overview of the cyber landscape.
• Key statistics reveal that the number of SaaS applications per company increased by 39.4% from 2021 to an average of 371, expanding the attack surface for credential-based breaches.
• Despite law enforcement operations disrupting prominent ransomware groups like LockBit and ALPHV, the overall number of ransomware variants and families rose sharply in 2024, indicating resilient and reorganizing criminal ecosystems.
• Industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, and telecommunications remained top targets for ransomware and extortion, with the value of stolen databases rising, especially in healthcare and telecom sectors, pointing to lucrative monetization opportunities.
• State-sponsored actors from China, Russia, and Iran intensified targeting critical infrastructure, with Chinese pre-positioning detected in US infrastructure and Russian efforts to destabilize Ukraine through sabotage and influence operations.
• Generative AI played a significant role in 2024 influence campaigns, with nation-states using AI tools to amplify propaganda and inauthentic political content during major elections worldwide.
• Adversaries increasingly employ defense evasion tactics such as using legitimate remote management tools, malware developed in languages like Go and Rust, and diversification into MacOS and Linux malware to bypass detection.
• Major reports emphasize the importance of adopting automated, scalable security architectures and prioritizing simple, effective controls like MFA to mitigate evolving threats effectively.
• The reports consistently underscore trends like the growth of small, independent ransomware groups, diversification of attack techniques, and the strategic targeting of high-value industries for maximum revenue and geopolitical impact.