Billions of credentials were stolen from businesses around the world in 2024
- Flashpoint report outlines a rise in stolen credentials and data breaches in 2024
- Over 3.2 billion credentials were compromised in 2024
- Profits from these attacks are fueling the cyber threat landscape
Over 3.2 billion credentials were compromised in 2024, new research has claimed, with these details then used to ‘fuel a number of illegal campaigns’.
- Flashpoint’s Global Threat Intelligence Report said the figure represents a 33% spike year-on-year, and of these stolen credentials, an overwhelming 75% of these were obtained through information stealing malware, or ‘infostealers’ - which have now infected over 23 million devices worldwide.
- The most prolific of these is Redline - infecting 9.9 million hosts in 2024.
Unsurprisingly, 2024 saw a rise in ransomware attacks, with Flashpoint identifying a 10% increase across all sectors, adding to the 84% increase from the previous year - reinforcing reports that 2024 was the worst year for ransomware on record.
A resilient market
- When ransomware and infostealer groups are disrupted, the market bounces back remarkably quickly, with new groups and malware strains emerging - indicating a “highly adaptable and resilient threat landscape”.
- This makes life much more difficult for security teams and law enforcement, so robust threat monitoring and adaptability will be key for cybersecurity going forward.
A key takeaway from the report is the increase in data breach activity, with 6,670 publicly reported data breaches in 2024 - responsible for the exposure of over 16.8 billion records - putting organizations, customers, and users at risk, and funding cybercriminal organizations around the world.
“We live in interesting times, where technology is both a blessing and a curse,” said Ian Gray, VP of Intelligence at Flashpoint.
US affected the most by data breaches, threat analysis finds
