KELA, the global leader in cyber intelligence, has released its annual State of Cybercrime 2024 report, offering an in-depth analysis of the past year’s most pressing cyber threats and intelligence-driven predictions for 2025. The report uncovers the evolving landscape of cybercrime, with attackers forming alliances, leveraging artificial intelligence, and shifting towards new monetization models that challenge traditional security measures.
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“Cybercrime has reached an unprecedented level of sophistication, with attackers continuously adapting and evolving their tactics,” said David Carmiel, CEO of KELA. “The surge in infostealers and ransomware, along with the increasing use of AI-driven threats, highlights the urgent need for organizations to rethink their security postures and adopt a more proactive intelligence-led approach.”
One of the most alarming trends identified in the report is the continued dominance of infostealer malware as a primary initial access vector. In 2024 alone, KELA tracked over 4.3 million infected machines worldwide, resulting in more than 330 million compromised credentials. Attackers are using these credentials to fuel sophisticated ransomware campaigns and large-scale data breaches. Meanwhile, ransomware operations continued to expand, with over 5,230 victims tracked throughout the year. Notably, the RansomHub ransomware group surpassed LockBit as the most prolific actor, while cybercriminals increasingly moved towards data extortion tactics beyond traditional encryption.
Beyond ransomware and infostealers, the report highlights a growing convergence between state-sponsored actors, hacktivists, and traditional cybercriminal groups. Over 200 new hacktivist groups emerged, conducting more than 3,500 distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, often in response to geopolitical events. The intersection of cybercrime and geopolitics has blurred attribution lines, making it even more difficult for organizations to track and mitigate threats effectively. AI-related cyber risks also intensified in 2024, with cybercriminals jailbreaking large language models (LLMs), stealing credentials for AI-driven platforms, and utilizing deepfakes for fraud and influence campaigns.
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“Cybercriminals are becoming more strategic, leveraging AI-driven automation, targeting supply chains, and exploiting new vulnerabilities at an alarming pace,” said David Carmiel, CEO of KELA. “Organizations must shift from a reactive stance to a proactive, intelligence-driven approach. We look forward to continuing to work with our partners and customers to strengthen their security posture and stay ahead of cyber threats. KELA’s expertise in cybercrime intelligence provides security teams with the foresight and actionable insights needed to counter evolving threats before they escalate.”
The State of Cybercrime 2024 report is now available for download, providing organizations with crucial insights into emerging threats, defensive strategies, and expert predictions for the cybersecurity landscape in 2025, helping businesses stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated adversaries.
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