Cyberint, a Check Point company, has released its 2024 Cyber Security Landscape Report, painting a concerning picture of the evolving threat landscape. The report, drawing on data from the Cyberint Argos Platform, analysed 140,000 cyber threat alerts across critical industries, revealing a 333% surge in credential theft, a significant rise in supply chain attacks, and the growing impact of AI-powered phishing. These trends pose a heightened risk for organisations across Europe and the UK.
One of the most significant findings is the dramatic increase in exploitable ports, doubling in 2024 compared to the previous year. This alarming statistic is attributed to the continued shift towards remote and hybrid work models, which has expanded the attack surface for malicious actors.
The report highlights that the banking and financial services, insurance, and retail and consumer goods sectors have faced the most critical alerts between October 2021 and 2024. However, the most prevalent data leakage cases across Cyberint’s European and UK clients in 2024 were compromised customer credentials, reaching a staggering 58,981 incidents compared to 16,957 in 2023. This represents an average annual increase of 333% since 2022, reflecting the growing sophistication of threat actors and the increasing use of automation in attacks, likely driven by the emergence of generative AI.
The report also sheds light on the vulnerability of the supply chain. The top three industries with compromised vendors in Europe and the UK are IT/Technology, Insurance, and Financial Services. Worryingly, 84% of vendor incidents in 2024 involved data breaches, underscoring the critical need for robust third-party risk management strategies.
Furthermore, the report notes a concerning rise in dynamic phishing sites. Unlike traditional static phishing sites, which can be easily identified and blacklisted, dynamic phishing sites frequently change their content or appearance, often only appearing to specific devices and user agents. This makes them significantly harder for security systems and users to recognise as malicious, increasing the success rate of these attacks.
The 2024 Cyber Security Landscape Report provides valuable insights into the evolving threat landscape and offers crucial guidance for CISOs to effectively combat emerging risks. By understanding these trends, organisations can proactively strengthen their security posture, mitigate vulnerabilities, and protect their critical assets from the ever-growing cyber threats.
