Gen Q4/2024 Threat Report: Cyber Threats Surge

The Gen Q4/2024 Threat Report highlights a dramatic rise in cyber threats. From October to December, Gen™ blocked 2.55 billion threats—321 every second. The risk of encountering a cyber threat reached 27.7%, with social engineering scams making up 86% of all blocked attacks.

Gen Q4/2024 Threat Report

Scammers Exploit Social Media

Social media remains a hotspot for fraud. Facebook accounted for 56% of all social media-based threats, followed by YouTube (24%), X (10%), Reddit, and Instagram (3% each). Telegram users faced six times more scams than WhatsApp users due to its privacy features.

Key threats included:

  • Malvertising (27%) – Fake ads spreading malware.
  • Fake e-shops (23%) – Fraudulent stores stealing financial data.
  • Phishing (18%) – Scams aimed at stealing passwords and banking details.

Financial Scams Surge

The last quarter of 2024 saw a spike in financial scams:

  • Deepfake crypto scams – A major campaign using fake Elon Musk videos stole $7 million.
  • Mobile banking trojans – Malware disguised as Visa and dating apps targeted banking details.
  • Spyware apps – Malicious “quick loan” apps extorted victims.

Personal Data Under Attack

Attacks targeting personal data increased by 130%. Scam-Yourself attacks tricked users into executing malicious code, leading to fraud. Ransomware attacks also jumped by 50%.

To stay safe, Gen introduced Clipboard Protection across Norton, Avast, and AVG.

Read the full Gen Q4/2024 Threat Report here.

Brought to you by CyberShack.com.au