2024 is coming to a close, and with it a banner year for cybercrime. Megabreaches that would have grabbed front-page headlines a decade earlier became commonplace to the point that they barely stayed in the news for a few days, online scams became an even more lucrative industry (the full accounting has yet to be released, but they jumped from $10 billion in reported losses in 2022 to $12.5 billion in 2023); simply put, the year was a dumpster fire for internet users and consumers.
Here’s what to expect from 2025:
- The AI arms race will continue to heat Up: Companies are scrambling to incorporate AI into their software offerings and services (to sometimes dubious ends), and cybercriminals have followed suit. Expect to see increasingly sophisticated phishing attacks (say goodbye to poorly-written emails), automated credential stuffing, target profiling and deepfakes. Cybersecurity companies are actively deploying AI to block these attacks, so expect to see an ongoing escalation between AI-based offense and defense.
Check out our What the Hack podcast episode about AI-based cybercrime here.
- Your security measures will be hacked: 2024 saw a major hacking incident against Ivanti VPN devices, which could have potentially compromised systems connected to critical infrastructure as well as the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA). Security measures such as firewalls, VPNs and password managers might protect customer data, but the slightest weakest link in their defenses could lead to wide-scale attacks on the level of the SolarWinds breach.
Check out our What the Hack interview with CISA Director Jen Easterly here.
- Your cryptocurrency wallet will be attacked: Thanks to the incoming Trump presidency’s promise of crypto-friendly policies (as well as his new apparent BFF Elon Musk’s heavy investment in them), cryptocurrency values are spiking. The transferability and anonymity of cryptocurrency and the relative difficulty of recovering it once stolen, combined with record highs in their value mean that the already sophisticated crypto schemes out there will escalate.
Check out our What the Hack interview with Solana cryptocurrency head of strategy Austin Federa here.
- Your children will be targeted on social media: While the elderly have been long-standing targets for cybercriminals and scammers of all kinds, the latest generation of digital natives that grew up hyper-connected on social media during the Covid epidemic makes for easy pickings for theft, extortion, catfishing, and worse, often with tragic results. Keep a close eye on your children’s social media usage in 2025: Given the difficulties in passing legislation to protect them online, it’s bound to get more prolific.
Check out our What the Hack episode with U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal about the Kids Online Safety Act here.
If this list sounds overly pessimistic, it isn’t: The threats the average person online faces, regardless of their age or income, is only increasing. Do yourself a favor and up your cybersafety game in 2025.
