2024 Predictions: Attackers’ Motivations Go Beyond Financial Gain, Resulting in Larger Pool of Targets, Attack Vectors & Tactics

In the final of our blog series delving into our 2024 predictions, we examine how heightened geopolitical issues and divisive societal concerns are feeding cybercriminals’ motivations in new ways. Cybercriminals will increasingly offer their skills and expertise for hire, and they will benefit from a widening digital landscape and new attack vectors as organizations continue to digitize their operations. 

It’s no surprise that 2024 will be chaotic given the global geopolitical landscape. We started the year facing 42 national elections taking place around the world, economic slowdown in China impacting other nations’ economies, and ongoing war in two critical regions that impact world food and energy supplies. Unfortunately, such turbulent times present great opportunities for cybercriminals. Today, while financial gain is certainly a factor, their motivations are increasingly fueled by a desire to gain notoriety and cause chaos within institutions, governments, and people’s everyday lives.

In Cybersecurity in 2024: Predicting the Next Generation of Threats and Strategies, we predict an uptick in attacks targeting entities previously secondary to more lucrative targets. Schools, hospitals, public utilities, and other essential services are now considered fair game, as bad actors seek power and influence while causing world disorder.

We also believe that we will see a rise in “crime-as-a-service” as cybercriminals sell in underground markets a range of illicit tools and resources, like ransomware-as-a-service, malware-as-a-service, and DDoS-as-a-service, that target individuals, businesses, and critical infrastructure. Without a doubt, this transition to a service model is transforming how threat actors gain access and deploy malware – within a click, they have at their disposal “ready-made kits” of malware, enabling them to efficiently and quickly launch more successful cyber attacks. Now, less advanced cybercriminals can carry out attacks with relative ease.

In 2024 and beyond, organizations will continue with their digital transformations, utilizing IoT and network-connected devices and storing more data in the cloud. All this leaves them more vulnerable to an attack, as cybercriminals take advantage of the widening digital landscape and new attack vectors.

Want to learn more about Cybersixgill’s insights and predictions for 2024 to keep your assets and stakeholders safe? Download Cybersecurity in 2024: Predicting the Next Generation of Threats and Strategies.