The Biggest Cybersecurity Threats To Look Out For

Cybersecurity threats come in many different shapes and sizes. The following attacks have been the most prolific this year, so it’s vital that you look carefully at how serious they are and what can be done to prevent them.

People have grown wise to basic phishing attacks and know well how to recognize them. Unfortunately, these fraudulent communications have taken a more sinister turn, putting your data at risk with clever trickery.

Studies show that in 2024, phishing remains the primary hacking method to breach data, with 57% of organizations facing phishing scams weekly or daily. One example of these attacks is spear phishing. This technique involves gathering personal information like name or job title and including these details in emails to sound more credible. Falling for this is incredibly serious and can lead to financial loss and even identity theft.

One phishing attempt that targets businesses and organizations specifically is Business Email Compromise (BEC). In this case, cybercriminals impersonate an important person within the company and request sensitive data from employees. Bearing in mind that 74% of security breaches are a result of human error, this cyberattack certainly poses a significant threat to businesses.

RaaS takes cybercrime to the next level. It’s described as a business model in which skilled developers create ransomware and distribute it to other attackers. As a result, ransomware is more easily accessible and increasingly threatening. In 2024 alone, Ransomware-as-a-Service is on track to cause $40 billion in losses for organizations in the U.S.

After using ransomware to illegally gain access to and encrypt personal data, the cybercriminal in charge of carrying out the attack, named the ‘affiliate’, goes on to demand a ransom for the decryption key. This is modern-day extortion in all its glory.

Big or small, no organization is safe from these malicious schemes. In August 2024, the Rhysida ransom group stole 3TB of data from the City of Columbus, which included sensitive employee information. The city actually refused to pay the ransom, resulting in all the stolen data being uploaded to the dark web.

We would be lying to ourselves if we believed that AI was only being used for good. 2024 has seen an alarming spike in AI-powered cyberattacks, with businesses relying more heavily on cloud-based services and online tools. Growing smarter all the time, these intrusive hacks seem to be undeterred by traditional internet security measures.

The most commonly reported are:

• Adaptive malware: Constantly adapting malware evolves to avoid detection, making it almost impossible for standard security systems to catch it.
• AI-augmented phishing: Taking phishing down a disturbing path, attackers use AI to create highly personalized emails that are even tailored to the victim’s communication style with Natural Language Generation tools.

AI-powered cyberattacks are undeniably worrying, as even being ultra-vigilant with internet security may not be enough to ward off these threats.

IoT devices like smartwatches, fitness trackers, and smart home devices continually gather and analyze your data in order to give you the best possible personalized experience – but there’s a catch.

With weaknesses in authentication and encryption protocols, outdated software, and the capacity to collect all kinds of everyday personal data, these devices are easy prey for cybercriminals.

The streaming company, Roku, suffered an enormous cybersecurity attack this year. Attackers used credential stuffing to compromise 576,000 accounts. This unauthorized access to users’ credentials was largely due to widespread use of IoT devices with limited security features.

Supply chain attacks differ slightly from the aforementioned methods, as they don’t directly target a business but the vulnerabilities in software and processes used by third-party providers instead.

Infiltrating the supply chain gives hackers unrestricted access to core data belonging to the company. These deceptive tactics exploit the trust between organizations and the links in their supply chains, leading to sweeping attacks that often go under the radar for long periods.

Plenty of studies show that supply chain attacks can be disastrous. The most powerful to date was the 2020 SolarWinds attack. After gaining illegal access to the company’s software development environment, bad actors injected malicious code into Orion platform updates. The 18,000 affected organizations are still recovering.

The advancement of cybersecurity threats in the last few years is overwhelming, and being targeted by cybercriminals can be devastating, especially for small businesses. The good news is that there are many best practices you can follow to minimize your risks – one of them is using a VPN service.

Getting in the habit of using a VPN across your devices is one of the best ways to protect your online security. That’s why it’s important to go for one with cross-platform support, along with other essentials like stable connections and intuitive apps. While there are free options out there, we recommend sticking with the few trusted ones or opting for a paid service. There are plenty of VPNs to choose from, with some providing free trials or excellent refund policies.

VPN services can enhance cybersecurity and strengthen vulnerabilities in many ways:

• 🔐 Encryption: All data exchanged between your device and the VPN server is encrypted and cannot be intercepted by hackers, the government, or even your ISP.
• 🛜 Public Wi-Fi security: Public Wi-Fi connections can be highly insecure, but when your internet traffic is encrypted with a VPN, there’s no chance of your data getting into the hands of eavesdroppers and malicious actors.
• 🌐 IP address masking: VPNs hide your real IP address and reroute your internet via a separate server, meaning that your location remains private. This also prevents geo-location tracking, so your data can’t be used by scammers in attacks like localized phishing attempts.
• 🛡️ Remote work security: Using a VPN when remotely accessing corporate networks minimizes the risks of data breaches as the connection remains encrypted.

Implementing a VPN for personal or professional use is always a smart choice, and it doesn’t need to break the bank. For example, PC Matic VPN offers an exclusive 66.3% discount for Best Reviews readers and comes with the safety net of a 30-day money-back guarantee.

The cybersecurity threats of 2024 have turned businesses upside down, undermined data security in highly acclaimed institutions, and left everyone feeling exposed. Rapidly chasing the latest technologies, attacks like RaaS and supply chain are becoming increasingly sophisticated and harder to immobilize.

Perhaps the most alarming cyberthreat of 2024 is the rise in AI-powered attacks, as personalized phishing attempts are now utterly convincing. With all this in mind, using a reliable VPN like PC Matic VPN is a must.

But so are some other online security best practices, such as relying on a password manager and always enabling multifactor authentication for accounts. Unfortunately, next year promises even more advanced cyberthreats, so every security measure counts!