Threat Intelligence Has Never Been More Crucial

Email and messaging are the channels through which most cyberthreats are launched, and organizations need to stop threats that arrive via email and messaging before they are successful. This requires using the most advanced, AI-based tools, but also staying in-the-know about the latest attackers and the techniques. Enter the Mimecast Global Threat Intelligence Report covering January-June 2024. 

AI Leads to Advancement on Both Sides

The adoption of AI technology by both sides of the cybersecurity warfare landscape continues to promise massive changes in the way cybersecurity is conducted. And while the impact has been limited on both sides so far, the battle for dominance of the cyber domain is unrelenting.

Cybercriminal cloud services and as-a-service offerings continue to expand the availability of attack tools, phishing kits, and databases of stolen information, while at the same time, law enforcement agencies have shown signs of adapting, with cross-jurisdictional collaboration resulting in the disruption of major cybercriminal groups.

The Current Threat Landscape

A temporary surge in attacks against medium-sized businesses has subsided, and small business users are once again seeing the most threats. Credential theft has become a major focus of attackers, who then sell stolen credentials on underground markets or use them in credential-stuffing attacks to gain access to organizations’ cloud services.

In addition, as organizations further migrate to the cloud and develop their infrastructure, the attack surface has expanded. A growing dependency on data stored within the cloud means security control is increasingly blurred. Inherent reliance on third-party software and infrastructure makes supply chain security a major problem.

In continued ransomware attacks, maintaining data confidentiality, integrity, and availability is key to successful outcomes, as attacks on data can lead to service interruption and a devastating impact on business operations. 

Also, generative AI and machine learning will improve the targeting and content of phishing campaigns, driving the defenders’ requirement to be able to detect and quickly respond to new and novel attack techniques.

Mimecast Threat Intelligence Report

Given that there can be an abundance of information for cybersecurity professionals to sort through, twice each year, Mimecast distills the insights gleaned by our threat intelligence analysts over each half-year period. Our report for the first six months of 2024 includes analysis of threat activity, statistics revealing attack trends, and a series of recommendations for businesses of all sizes to better mitigate the risks of cyberthreats.

Threat Intelligence Key Findings

In the current report, readers will discover:

• Messaging attacks have evolved from pushing malware to using links, with more layers of links providing some obfuscation from detection.
• The banking, arts and entertainment, and travel and hospitality industries experienced the most malicious URL messages in Q2 2024, while the IT consulting and legal professional services sectors encountered the most spam and impersonation messages.
• Attackers are using development services to host and develop campaigns, and file-sharing services are also popular ways of hosting intermediate documents that link out to credential harvesting pages.
• Impersonation attacks dominated threats targeting European users, while spam accounted for most attacks in Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region saw a dramatic spike in attacks against small businesses.
• Six major cybersecurity events in the first half of 2024 highlighted the potential messaging and human-centric risks arising from today’s threat landscape.

Predictions for the Future

This year promises to deliver users surging spam, phishing, and disinformation attacks. The 2024 election season with major votes in the U.S. and Europe will be one of the biggest in history according to The Economist¹. Regional conflicts will also add to the surge.

Learn More

In addition to what has already been spelled out here, the Mimecast Global Threat Intelligence Report for 2024 H1 delivers five insightful charts, delves into the major cyberthreat campaigns impacting users, and provides easily actionable recommendations to keep your organization safe. Download the report to learn more.

¹ Source: 2024 is the biggest election year in history | The Economist