Vulnerabilities rise in first half of 2024

So far this year, vulnerabilities have risen by 11 percent and the availability of publicly known exploits has increased by six percent.

The latest Cyber Threat Intelligence Index from Flashpoint reveals 17,518 newly disclosed vulnerabilities in the first half of the year. Also, over 45 percent of all vulnerabilities disclosed in H1 2024 are rated high to critical in CVSSv3.

The report finds an increase in infostealing malware too, with more than 13 million devices infected and more than 53 million credentials compromised in the first half of the year. Redline has been the most prolific infostealer, infecting over three million hosts and exfiltrating over 10 million stolen credentials. This data is being used to drive increasingly complex and damaging ransomware attacks.

The United States remains the primary target for ransomware groups, followed by the UK and Canada. This continued focus is driven by factors such as the availability of high-profile targets, the potential for lucrative ransom payments, and overall challenges in dismantling sophisticated ransomware operations.

LockBit -- a ransomware-as-a-service provider -- remains the most prolific form of ransomware, accounting for 428 attacks through the half year, ahead of Play on 175 and RansomHub on 169.

The report also shows that insider threats remain an issue. It finds 8,497 unique instances of insider recurring, advertising or general discussions involving insider-related threat activity across its chat collections. The majority of insider threat activity coming from individuals advertising their services to malicious actors. This is a particular problem in the telecom industry, where employees offer to perform SIM swaps on behalf of threat actors.

The authors note, "The cyber threat landscape is a volatile and ever-changing arena where new threats constantly emerge and old ones evolve at a rapid pace. As a cybersecurity practitioner on the front lines, staying ahead of these threats is not just a goal, but a necessity."

You can get the full report on the Flashpoint site.

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