Key Insights from the 2024 End-of-Year Report: Preparing for Cyber Threats in 2025

The cyber threat landscape in 2024 witnessed an unprecedented surge in sophisticated attacks, with cybercriminals leveraging the dark web, ransomware, and phishing to target enterprises across industries. Data breaches compromised millions of records, ransomware groups intensified their tactics, and phishing attacks surged, particularly in the United States and Singapore.

SOCRadar’s 2024 End-of-Year Report provides a comprehensive analysis of the evolving threat environment, highlighting key trends in dark web activity, ransomware operations, and stealer logs. As we approach 2025, organizations must adopt proactive strategies to safeguard their critical assets.

This report explores major cybersecurity concerns from 2024 and offers actionable strategies to prepare for emerging threats.

Dark Web: A Hotbed for Cybercrime in 2024

In 2024, threat actor activity on the dark web surged, making underground forums a thriving marketplace for stolen credentials, financial data, and illicit access.

• 2,126 active threat actors published over 18,500 posts, primarily focused on selling compromised data and unauthorized access.
• The United States remained the most targeted country, accounting for 19.24% of dark web-related posts.
• The Information Services sector led as the most targeted industry, making up 12% of posts, reflecting its appeal due to data richness.

Targeted Industries and Regions

• Top Targeted Country: The United States bore the brunt, accounting for 19.24% of all Dark Web activity.

• Most Targeted Industry: Information services led the list, making up 12% of the posts—a clear indicator of threat actors exploiting data-rich sectors.

Implications for 2025

The increasing volume of cybercriminal activity on the dark web underscores the need for advanced monitoring solutions. Organizations must adopt continuous dark web surveillance to detect threats before they escalate into full-blown attacks.

SOCRadar’s Advanced Dark Web Monitoring provides real-time tracking of dark web forums, ransomware blogs, and underground marketplaces, allowing enterprises to identify early warning signals of breaches and prevent data leaks before they result in financial and reputational damage.

SOCRadar’s Advanced Dark Web Monitoring module

Ransomware: A Persistent and Evolving Threat

Ransomware remained one of the most damaging threats in 2024, with cybercriminals refining their techniques to maximize financial impact and operational disruption.

• 9,678 ransomware incidents were recorded across ransomware blogs—averaging 27 attacks per day.
• The United States faced the highest share of ransomware attacks (54.12% globally).

• The Manufacturing sector was hit hardest, accounting for 18.26% of ransomware activity.

The Most Active Ransomware Groups

Several ransomware gangs dominated the landscape, with RansomHub (9.45%), and LockBit 3.0 (6.91%) emerging as the most active. These groups exploited vulnerabilities in critical sectors, causing extensive financial and operational damage.

Suggestions for Strategy in 2025

Organizations need to take a multi-layered strategy to cybersecurity in order to combat these advanced attacks. Below are key techniques to fortify your defenses:

1. Dark Web Monitoring: Utilize tools like SOCRadar’s Advanced Dark Web Monitoring to monitor emerging threats in underground forums and ransomware blogs.
2. Ransomware Defense: Implement Attack Surface Management to identify and address vulnerabilities proactively.
3. Real-Time Intelligence: Leverage AI-driven technologies to keep one step ahead of adversaries.
4. Incident Response Plans: Get your team ready to respond quickly to ransomware outbreaks in order to reduce damage and recovery time.

Conclusion

As the cyber threat landscape continues to change, the findings from SOCRadar’s 2024 End-of-Year Report provide essential advice for resilience. Organizations may effectively reduce risks and protect their operations in 2025 by resolving vulnerabilities, monitoring new threats, and using advanced intelligence solutions.

Take the next step to strengthen your cybersecurity posture. Request a demonstration of SOCRadar’s advanced Extended Threat Intelligence platform today, and get your business ready to confidently deal with the dangers of the future.