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Cyber attack trends for 2024 from the X-Force Threat Report

X-Force Threat Intelligence Index Report 2024

In the dynamic arena of cybersecurity, the stakes are high and the adversaries are relentless. The latest insights from IBM’s X-Force Threat Intelligence Index Report for 2024 provide a crucial glimpse into the cyber threats that dominated the previous year. For anyone with a stake in the digital world, these findings are not just informative; they are essential for the protection of your digital assets.

The report highlights a significant rise in the exploitation of legitimate user credentials, which saw a 71% increase in 2023, making it as prevalent as phishing in terms of methods used for initial access by cybercriminals. This alarming trend underscores the critical need for robust Identity and Access Management (IAM) protocols. Without strong IAM measures, your digital presence is at risk, as cybercriminals continue to refine their tactics to gain unauthorized access to systems and data.

Phishing attacks, a long-standing threat, remain a formidable challenge, with cybercriminals constantly updating their strategies to install malware or steal credentials. The malware that is particularly concerning is the kind that hijacks user accounts, potentially leading to significant data breaches. It is more important than ever to remain vigilant and to be able to recognize and respond to these deceptive tactics.

Cyber Attack Trends 2024

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Data security has become increasingly important, with incidents of data theft and leakage now accounting for 32% of the major impacts on organizations. This represents a significant increase from the 19% reported in 2022. The rise of info stealers has contributed to this trend, emphasizing the need to protect your data from theft and unauthorized disclosure.

Application security is another area that demands continuous attention. The most common vulnerabilities are due to misconfigurations, failures in identity and authentication, and issues with access control. These vulnerabilities are often linked to poor password practices and the use of default settings. Addressing these issues through rigorous security measures is essential to safeguard your applications from potential breaches.

The report also touches on the emergence of Generative AI, including advanced chatbots, which has been a hot topic in 2023. While the use of this technology in attacks has been minimal so far, the interest shown in dark web forums suggests that it could pose future threats. Keeping up with the developments in generative AI is therefore an important aspect of your cybersecurity strategy.

X-Force Threat Intelligence Index Report for 2024

A review of 2023 identifying major threat trends in cybersecurity, drawing on data from IBM’s global team across 17 countries, including ethical hackers, incident responders, researchers, and analysts.

  • Identity and Access Management:
    • Initial access factors highlighted, with valid accounts or improper use of a valid account and phishing tied for the top method at approximately 30%.
    • A significant increase in valid account misuse, up by 71% over the previous year.
  • Phishing Details:
    • Split into two main types: those involving attachments and those involving links, aiming to plant malware or steal credentials.
    • A considerable portion of malware is intended to steal credentials.
  • Data Security:
    • Data theft and leakage were the top impact on organizations, constituting 32%, up from 19% in 2022.
    • The rise of info stealers, malware designed to exfiltrate sensitive information and credentials, saw an increase of 266%.
  • Application Security:
    • Misconfiguration was the most frequent application security vulnerability, according to the OWASP Top 10 list.
    • Identity and authentication failures, along with related access control issues, were significant, collectively accounting for 36% of the vulnerabilities.
  • Zero-Day Attacks:
    • A significant decrease in 2023 compared to 2022, down by 72%, possibly due to easier attack methods being available.
  • Ransomware:
    • A slight decrease in real-world cases, down by 12%.
    • Early signs of better defense against ransomware attacks and a growing trend of organizations not paying the ransom.
  • Generative AI:
    • 2023 marked a significant year for the adoption and discussion of generative AI technologies.
    • Over 800,000 mentions of AI and generative AI in dark web forums, indicating both interest and experimentation by malicious actors.
    • Concerns raised about the potential misuse of generative AI in cyber attacks, with some alternative chatbots lacking restrictions on generating malicious content.
  • Preventive Measures and Recommendations:
    • Emphasis on the effectiveness of industry best practices in preventing 84% of attacks on critical infrastructure.
    • Recommendations include multi-factor authentication, use of passkeys, data encryption, immutable backups, patching applications, system hardening, and staying informed about generative AI developments.

However, it’s not all grim news. The report notes a significant 72% decline in zero-day attacks and a 12% reduction in ransomware incidents, indicating that cybersecurity efforts are making a difference. These positive trends highlight the effectiveness of proactive prevention measures and the benefits of staying ahead of cybercriminals.

Prevention is, and always has been, the best defense. The report suggests that adhering to industry best practices could have prevented 84% of the attacks on critical infrastructure that occurred. Among the recommended practices are the use of multi-factor authentication, passkeys, data encryption, immutable backups, regular patching, system hardening, and staying informed about the latest developments in generative AI.

The X-Force Threat Intelligence Index Report for 2024 is a wake-up call to learn from the previous year’s cybersecurity challenges and to strengthen our defenses. It is imperative that you review the full report for a comprehensive analysis and adopt the suggested security practices. By doing so, you can enhance the security of your digital ecosystem and be better prepared to face the emerging threats that lie ahead.

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Arduino Open Source Report 2023 is now available to download

Arduino Open Source Report 2023 available to download

The Arduino community has experienced a significant boost in open-source activity this year, with a host of new projects and tools that have enriched the DIY and maker scenes. If you’re an enthusiast or professional in this field, you’ve probably noticed the wide range of contributions that have come to light, including hardware advancements and software enhancements. These developments are fostering an environment of creativity and collaboration.

Arduino has been at the forefront of this movement, releasing five new open-source hardware products that are both powerful and user-friendly. These products are designed to help anyone with a creative spark bring their ideas to life. In addition to hardware, the Arduino Integrated Development Environment (IDE) has been updated with five new versions, each improving the user experience and adding features to streamline the development process. The command line tools for Arduino have also seen thirteen new versions, offering programmers more versatility.

Arduino Open Source Report 2023

A significant partnership with the Zephyr Project has highlighted Arduino’s commitment to open-source development. This partnership brings a leading real-time operating system into the Arduino ecosystem, enabling the creation of complex and reliable applications for hardware projects.

Software libraries, which are essential to Arduino’s ecosystem, have expanded with twelve new official releases and updates to thirteen official board packages. These libraries make it easy to add new features to your projects. The community has played a significant role in this growth, with 1,068 new libraries and 101 updated community board packages, demonstrating a collective effort to enhance the Arduino platform. Download the Arduino Open Source Report 2023 here.

The support for MicroPython has also been strengthened, offering an alternative to the traditional Arduino programming approach. New tools and a package index have been introduced to simplify the use of MicroPython in your projects, tapping into its potential.

Education and knowledge sharing are at the heart of Arduino’s mission. Consistent with this goal, 205 new open-source tutorials have been published on the Project Hub. These tutorials provide clear, step-by-step guidance on a variety of topics and are designed to improve your electronics and programming skills, regardless of your experience level.

The report also highlights individuals who have made significant contributions to the Arduino library ecosystem. It features a ranking of the most active library authors and maintainers, recognizing their essential support to the community.

Your involvement in this ecosystem is vital. Whether you’re buying products, subscribing to Arduino Cloud, or making donations, your support fuels the continued development and maintenance of these open-source projects.

The 2023 Arduino Open Source Report reflects a year of collective effort, cooperation, and community-led growth. Your ongoing engagement with Arduino’s open-source hardware and software places you at the center of a vibrant ecosystem, driven by the common purpose of technological progress.

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Report: True-crime author assisted Tinder murderer in his prison plot

In 2017, prosecutors say Aubrey Trail killed Sydney Loofe with an electrical line and cut her body into 14 pieces.
Local news stories say that a true-crime author helped a Nebraska death row inmate who killed and cut up a woman he met on Tinder get a jail nurse to pay him $25,000.

KLKN reported on Wednesday that Samantha Al-Rekabi was charged with criminal theft by blackmail in connection with the 2017 murder of 24-year-old Sydney Loofe. At the time, Al-Rekabi was working on a book about the murder.

Aubrey Trail, who was 56 years old, was found guilty of killing Loofe and given a death sentence. Prosecutors said he killed Loofe with an electrical cord and cut her body into 14 pieces, which he then dumped in ditches along country roads in Nebraska.

Trail’s lover, who is now 29 years old, matched with Loofe on Tinder and asked for group sex with both the victim and Trail.
In her search for information about Loofe’s murder for her true-crime book, Al-Rekabi seems to have become friends with Trail and helped him steal the jail nurse in 2021, before he was sentenced that same year, according to a statement that KLKN was able to get.
Trail finally started talking to the nurse, who told him that she and her husband were having problems. Trail is accused of using the nurse to get her to pay him $25,000 to stop a hitman from killing her husband.

He may have also talked the nurse into sneaking him things like a phone, chewing tobacco, and a gun into jail, according to the Lincoln Journal-Star.

In her search for information for her book, the suspect also made friends with the nurse. KETV got court papers that say they thought of themselves as “true crime fans.”

According to the Journal-Star, Trail told the nurse, “Bring me a gun so I can just kill everyone.” He said this in phone calls that were given to the police.

Al-Rekabi was with the nurse when she took the money from her bank account, so he must have been there.
KETV reported that Al-Rekabi told the Nebraska State Patrol that Trail tricked her into swindling the nurse out of money by telling her that he would kill her or her son, who was also an inmate, if she didn’t go along with the alleged extortion plan. In 2021, the nurse quit her job.

“Trail also said he wanted to sneak a gun into the prison,” a detective wrote in the statement, which was published in the Lincoln Journal-Star. He and Al-Rekabi also talked about the “compromised staff member” and how she wanted her husband killed so that he couldn’t get her salary through a divorce.

Investigators’ phone calls, on the other hand, seem to show Al-Rekabi “joking” with Trail about how they were going to steal $25,000. Documents obtained by KETV show this.

The true-crime author went to court in Lancaster County on Wednesday, where a judge told the police to hold him on a $5,000 bond.