Ongoing infostealer attacks are the biggest threat to your security right now. Here’s what you need to do.
are being used in ongoing attacks against enterprise networks, like London buses along comes another. This time, however, the numbers are bigger. Much bigger, in fact. New threat intelligence has confirmed that, across 2024, a total of 3.
2 billion credentials were stolen. And that’s not the double-whammy of bad news I’ve got for you: 75% of those credentials, or 2.1 billion if you prefer, were compromised by infostealer malware attacks.Threat intelligence specialists Flashpoint have published an annual look at the global threat landscape based on the last 12 months of activity and analysis. Among the standout statistics for me was the fact that while the number of security vulnerabilities grew by 12% an astonishing 39% of the total have known exploits out there. Then there were the inevitable ransomware threat numbers, which, unfortunately, look like they are going in the wrong direction with a 10% increase in such attacks. Oh, and I should really also mention that, across all industry sectors, data breaches were up by 6% as well. But none of these grabbed my attention by the throat as much as those concerning the infostealer malware threat. The headline credential theft statistic was that a staggering 3.2 billion items were stolen during 2024. That accounts for a rise of 33% when it comes to stolen passwords. But that’s still not what has me worried most of all. “Of all 3.2 billion stolen credentials in 2024,” theThese stolen credentials dominate dark web criminal marketplaces and cybercrime forums and are used to feed the fire of everything from account takeover attacks to ransomware. “Examining 2025,” Flashpoint warned, “over 200 million credentials have already been stolen.”It should come as no surprise that infostealer malware is on the rise. After all, it’s relatively simple to deploy, hugely effective and comes complete with low overhead costs for the attackers. The five infostealer malware variants that were most often deployed in attacks last year were, according to Flashpoint, Redline,and Meta Stealer. “The rapid emergence of new infostealer strains and the persistence of the market,” Flashpoint said, “even after the takedowns of Redline and Meta Stealer, indicates a highly adaptable and resilient threat landscape.”such as free, download and pdf. When it comes to protecting your password, be warned that the usual advice regarding the use of two-factor authentication on all accounts where it is available, along with email filtering solutions, applies. A strong password alone will not protect you from the infostealer malware threat.
Infostealer Attack Password Theft Password Attack Stolen Password Hackers Password Hacked Flashpoint Threat Intelligence 2.1 Billio Stolen Passwords
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Gmail, Outlook 2FA Warning—Delete Your Password NowChange your account security now, before it’s too late—here’s what to do.
Read more »
Houston weather: Tuesday morning rain; red flag warning; severe thunderstorm warningHouston weather forecast for Tuesday, March 4, including rain, storms and a red flag warning.
Read more »
YouTube Issues New Password Hacking Warning—Do Not Watch This VideoYouTube has issued a critical new warning as password hackers strike using a privately-shared video. Here’s what you need to know.
Read more »
Identity Theft Warning—Hidden Commands In 1 Billion Bluetooth ChipsA hidden feature in a cheap, and wildly popular, Bluetooth chip used in at least a billion devices, could lead to identity theft, security researchers have warned.
Read more »
1Password Warning—Don’t Reset Your Master PasswordAs attackers target users of the highly popular 1Password password manager, heed this warning: don’t reset your master password, no matter how critical it seems.
Read more »
Password Warning—50% Of Internet Users Open To Reuse AttackAre you one of the 50% of internet users leaving themselves exposed to attack because of this simple password mistake?
Read more »