Data-stealing cyberattacks are surging - 7 ways to protect yourself and your business

BlackJack3D/Getty Images 2024 delivered some good news and bad news in the area of cybercrime. Malware-based ransomware attacks dropped for the third year in a row. But instances of infostealer malware grew dramatically. Those findings come from IBM X-Force's "2025 Threat Intelligence Index" released Thursday. First, let's look at the good news. For the year, ransomware accounted for just 28% of malware incidents, the third annual decline in a row. This means a decrease in malware distributed in advance of ransomware attacks. At the same time, there was a drop in attacks from many high-volume malware distributors, including Emotet, TrickBot, IcedID, Qakbot, Gozi and Pikabot. Also: Why multi-factor authentication is absolutely essential in 2025 Of course, ransomware continues to pose a significant threat. Based on an analysis of dark web activity and other factors, IBM X-Force observed a 25% rise in actual attacks last year. Among the most active ransomware families in 2024 were Aki ... Read full article.