The year 2024 was a pivotal year for the cybersecurity industry. Cutting-edge, AI-driven technologies like deepfakes, organized cybercrime, and the increasing digitization of all business processes placed significant pressure on both governments and companies to continuously adapt their cyber defense measures.

Cybercriminals increasingly leveraged artificial intelligence to enhance their attacks. For example, using voice phishing or deepfake technologies, they made phishing attempts more realistic and convincing. Malware attacks, particularly in the form of ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS), spread rapidly, exploiting AI to adapt to the latest security vulnerabilities efficiently and effectively bypass defenses.

This growing professionalism in ransomware operations, exemplified by groups like BlackCat and LockBit, saw the use of highly advanced encryption techniques. These groups employed AI to automatically identify vulnerabilities within networks, enabling them to distribute malicious software quickly and broadly.

Affiliate models provided attackers with the ability to carry out ransomware attacks without extensive programming or hacking knowledge. Through marketplaces on the dark web, attackers could "rent" developed ransomware tools along with technical documentation provided by their creators. This setup enabled even unskilled cybercriminals to target company networks or individual users.

As a result, ransomware attacks significantly increased in 2024. Cybercriminals adopted a double extortion strategy, which combined the encryption of sensitive data with the threat of publishing or selling this data if ransom demands were not met. This dual-threat tactic placed immense pressure on victims, often forcing them to comply with ransom demands.

Supply chain attacks became a widespread issue last year. Cybercriminals exploited vulnerabilities in software vendors or cloud services, causing cascading effects throughout entire supply chains. These attacks often resulted in production downtimes, service disruptions, and financial losses, affecting a wide range of industries.

In response to the growing cyber threat landscape, governments intensified national and international laws and standards. The goal is to ensure that companies implement measures to protect themselves from evolving cybersecurity threats. This is particularly relevant for organizations in critical sectors like transportation and energy, which play key roles within supply chains.