Cisco Talos Year In Review: Key Cybersecurity Threats And Trends

Cisco Talos has released its comprehensive 2024 Year in Review, highlighting critical cybersecurity threats and trends. The report covers:
– Top Targeted Vulnerabilities
– Ransomware Trends
– Email Threats
– Top Attacker Tools

New additions this year include:

Identity-Based Threats
Attacks Against Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
AI-Powered Attacks

You Should Know: Essential Cybersecurity Practices

1. Mitigating Top Targeted Vulnerabilities

Patch Management:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y  Linux 
winget upgrade --all  Windows

CVE Scanning: Use tools like `OpenVAS` or Nessus.

2. Defending Against Ransomware

Backup Critical Data:

tar -czvf backup.tar.gz /path/to/data  Linux 
robocopy C:\data D:\backup /MIR  Windows

Disable RDP if Unused:

Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server" -Name "fDenyTSConnections" -Value 1

3. Combating Email Threats

SPF/DKIM/DMARC Checks:

dig TXT example.com  Verify SPF 
opendkim-testmsg -d example.com  Test DKIM

4. Detecting Attacker Tools

Monitor Process Activity:

ps aux | grep -E "(mimikatz|netcat|nmap)"  Linux 
Get-Process | Where-Object { $_.ProcessName -match "evil" }  Windows

5. Preventing Identity-Based Threats

Enforce Strong Passwords:

sudo pam_tally2 --user=username --reset  Linux failed login reset 
net accounts /minpwlen:12  Windows

6. Securing MFA

Disable SMS-Based MFA: Use TOTP (Google Authenticator) or FIDO2 keys.

7. Countering AI Attacks

Monitor Unusual API Traffic:

tcpdump -i eth0 'port 443' -w ai_traffic.pcap  Linux

What Undercode Say

The Cisco Talos 2024 report underscores evolving threats, emphasizing proactive defense. Key takeaways:
– Patch relentlessly – Unpatched systems are low-hanging fruit.
– Isolate critical assets – Segmentation limits ransomware spread.
– Audit identities – Compromised credentials fuel breaches.
– Adopt phishing-resistant MFA – Push/SMS-based MFA is vulnerable.
– Monitor AI abuse – Generative AI fuels hyper-realistic social engineering.

Relevant Commands for Deep Dive:

 Linux: Check exposed ports 
ss -tulnp

Windows: Detect lateral movement 
Get-WinEvent -FilterHashtable @{LogName='Security'; ID=4624,4648}

Network traffic analysis 
zeek -r suspicious.pcap