As the first half of 2024 comes to a close, the cybersecurity threat landscape has continued its rapid evolution, spawning a host of new and increasingly sophisticated viruses, malware, and attack vectors. Global cybersecurity solutions provider, Quick Heal, drawing on the latest insights provided by researchers at Seqrite Labs, India’s largest malware analysis facility, has identified several critical emerging threats that pose serious risks to individuals, businesses, and organizations worldwide.
The viruses and malware emerging in 2024 are some of the most advanced and insidious that the country has ever encountered. Cybercriminals are leveraging cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence and fileless attacks to create new threats capable of bypassing traditional cybersecurity defenses. There is also a concerning rise in deepfakes used for targeted misinformation and slander campaigns.
One major threat is fileless malware attacks that hijack legitimate system administration tools and processes to infiltrate systems undetected, invisible to conventional antivirus scans. Another perilous trend is the rise of deepfake technology using AI to generate realistic-looking but completely fake audio, images, and videos that are being weaponized to spread disinformation, smear individuals and organizations, and conduct financial fraud – with high-profile deepfake incidents already roiling the political landscape and generating celebrity scandals.
The democratization of ransomware through user-friendly Ransomware-as-a-Service offerings has also significantly lowered the barrier to entry, fueling an onslaught of ransomware attacks in 2024 that cripple businesses and individuals by encrypting data until ransom payments are made. Additionally, the proliferation of insecure internet-connected smart devices has provided a wealth of new vulnerabilities for hackers to exploit, compromising IoT products into botnets used to launch devastating Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks.
Complacency is not an option in 2024’s rapidly evolving threat environment. End users and enterprises alike must take proactive steps to harden their cybersecurity posture and implement multi-layered defenses. Traditional antivirus and firewall solutions are no longer sufficient to combat these advanced viral and malware threats.
