By 2024, the Cyber attacks situation will evolve rapidly. Affecting industries and economies on a global level From ransomware that paralyses health systems to attacks on critical infrastructure. Hackers have shown unprecedented sophistication and scale. Cybercrime is no longer limited to isolated incidents but has become a systemic threat that disrupts lives, businesses, and even national security.
This year, hacker groups such as Lazarus Group,Shadow Crypt, and Skyfall Aliens will be exploiting vulnerabilities. Phishing techniques and weak points in the repression chain to carry out powerful attacks. Financial markets, energy grids, health systems, and communications networks are everywhere. It emphasises the need for better prevention and surveillance.
In this blog, we count the 10 major cyberattacks in 2024 in two regressions. It explores the impact, techniques used, and affected settlers. and the surprising losses that occurred Whether you are someone interested in cybersecurity or not. business leader Or just someone curious about the digital threats shaping our world? This show provides important insights into the evolving world of cyber warfare.
Skynet Attack
Sector Affected: Satellite Communications (China)
Hacker Group: Skyfall Aliens
Attack Type: Satellite Firmware Exploitation
How It Happened: Skyfall Aliens exploited firmware vulnerabilities in a satellite, hijacking control systems and disrupting global navigation across the Asia-Pacific region. Communication systems for aviation, shipping, and defense were severely impacted.
Impact: The attack created widespread delays in air traffic, maritime navigation, and military communication, emphasizing the vulnerability of satellite networks.
Loss: $500 Million
Key Takeaway: Firmware-level security and satellite redundancy protocols must be strengthened.
Dragonfish APT
Sector Affected: Telecom (India)
Hacker Group: Red Lotus Syndicate
Attack Type: Spear Phishing and Waterhole Attack
How It Happened: The Red Lotus Syndicate executed a two-pronged attack targeting telecom giants like BSNL and Airtel. First, spear phishing emails were sent to specific telecom employees with deceptive subjects, tricking them into revealing credentials or installing malware. Second, they employed a Waterhole Attack by compromising frequently visited telecom-related websites and injecting malicious scripts.
Impact: The hackers exfiltrated 50 million user records, including Aadhaar numbers, financial details, and home addresses. The leaked data fueled identity theft, financial fraud, and phishing scams across India. High-profile individuals switched providers, damaging customer trust.
Loss: $75 Million
Key Takeaway: Telecom providers must adopt stricter endpoint security and educate employees to detect phishing attempts.
[Also read:The 15 Most Common Types of Malware: Protect Your System from Digital Threats]
Operation Red Silence
Sector Affected: Energy (Australia)
Hacker Group: Shadow Crypt
Attack Type: Phishing Email, Zero-Day Exploit in SCADA
How It Happened: Shadow Crypt leveraged a zero-day vulnerability in the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems—critical to managing industrial operations. The attack began when an employee unknowingly clicked on a phishing email disguised as an internal energy sector update. The email contained a malicious attachment that deployed malware, granting hackers access to critical systems.
Impact: The attack disrupted power supply across multiple regions in Australia for several weeks, leaving businesses, homes, and public infrastructure without electricity. Emergency services faced delays, and businesses suffered revenue loss due to halted operations.
Loss: $100 Million
Key Takeaway: Industrial systems like SCADA require updated patches and continuous monitoring, as even a single email can lead to catastrophic failures.
Blackout 2024
Sector Affected: Internet Service Providers (UK)
Hacker Group: Dark Flood
Attack Type: DDoS Attack on ISP Infrastructure
How It Happened: Dark Flood orchestrated a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack on critical ISP infrastructure, overwhelming servers with 500,000+ botnet requests per second. The attack crippled major ISPs, leading to an internet outage across the UK.
Impact: Businesses relying on online services lost productivity, e-commerce sites reported plummeting sales, and individuals were cut off from digital communication for 48 hours. Public services also suffered delays.
Loss: $50 Million
Key Takeaway: ISPs must implement advanced DDoS mitigation strategies to ensure service availability during such attacks.
[Also read:5 Simple Hacks to Secure Your Personal Computer]
Iron Vault Breach
Sector Affected: Finance (Japan)
Hacker Group: Steel Fox Collective
Attack Type: Outdated API Exploitation
How It Happened: The attackers exploited vulnerabilities in an outdated trading application API used by Japanese financial institutions. Through the API loophole, the hackers accessed highly sensitive merger and acquisition documents and market strategies. They manipulated trading platforms, leading to erratic stock movements and enabling massive insider-like trades.
Impact: Financial markets faced significant disruptions as trade secrets were leaked and manipulated. Investors lost confidence, and institutions faced reputational damage. The stock market witnessed erratic swings, making it nearly impossible to calculate the true losses.
Loss: Some were in billions.
Key Takeaway: Regular API audits, testing, and patching are essential to secure trading platforms and prevent large-scale financial breaches.
Phantom Whisperers
Sector Affected: Healthcare (USA)
Hacker Group: Phantom Crew
Attack Type: Ransomware Deployment via Fake Firmware Update
How It Happened: Phantom Crew distributed fake firmware updates through email links to hospitals and healthcare providers. The malware—Ryuk 2.0—locked critical systems, including patient records, billing systems, and diagnostic tools. Staff members, unaware of the threat, installed the update, inadvertently launching the ransomware.
Impact: Hospitals faced chaos as they could not admit patients, access treatment plans, or issue prescriptions. Emergency cases were diverted, increasing patient risks, and routine healthcare operations ground to a halt. Lawsuits followed, compounding recovery costs.
Loss: $350 Million
Key Takeaway: Ransomware readiness plans and email verification protocols must be prioritized to ensure patient care is not compromised.
Spear Shock
Sector Affected: Defense (Russia)
Hacker Group: Silent Spear
Attack Type: Spear Phishing and Espionage
How It Happened: Silent Spear sent carefully crafted spear phishing emails to targeted defense officials, tricking them into downloading malicious attachments. Once inside the systems, hackers harvested login credentials and accessed highly classified military strategies and defense plans.
Impact: National security was compromised, with stolen data potentially sold to enemy states. This attack exposed severe vulnerabilities in Russia’s cyber defense mechanisms.
Loss: Unquantifiable
Key Takeaway: Defense agencies must implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) and robust endpoint security to thwart espionage attempts.
[Also read:How to Spot a Fake Website: 10 Warning Signs You Need to Know]
Digital Meltdown Attack
Sector Affected: Global (Enterprise Software Supply Chain)
Suspected Actor: Nation-State
Attack Type: Malware Injection in Software Update Pipeline
How It Happened: Hackers infiltrated enterprise software vendors’ update pipelines, injecting malware into legitimate software updates. Affected companies, including Intel, Microsoft, and Google, unknowingly distributed compromised updates to their global networks.
Impact: Businesses worldwide experienced operational disruptions, data theft, and malware propagation across interconnected systems. This attack highlighted the global interconnectedness and vulnerability of supply chains.
Loss: Over $2 Billion
Key Takeaway: Continuous software integrity checks and zero-trust supply chain policies are critical to mitigating such threats.
Ecom Apocalypse
Sector Affected: E-commerce (Europe)
Hacker Group: Vendetta Hackers
Attack Type: Supply Chain Attack on Payment Gateways
How It Happened: Vendetta Hackers compromised a third-party payment gateway used by major e-commerce platforms during the Black Friday sale. By injecting malware, they disrupted transactions, causing platforms like Amazon and regional alternatives to crash.
Impact: Millions of customers faced failed purchases, while competitors capitalized on traffic. E-commerce platforms reported revenue losses and damaged brand trust during peak shopping seasons.
Loss: $1 Billion
Key Takeaway: Regular audits of supply chain integrations are critical to prevent large-scale disruptions.
[It may interested you to read Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) : Effective Prevention and Mitigation Techniques]
Crypto Siphon
Sector Affected: Cryptocurrency (Global)
Hacker Group: Lazarus Group
Attack Type: Hot Wallet Exploitation
How It Happened: Lazarus Group identified vulnerabilities in hot wallets used by cryptocurrency exchanges. They exploited these weaknesses to gain access to wallet credentials, siphoning funds from users across platforms like Vazirex. The stolen cryptocurrency remains untraceable due to anonymized blockchain transfers.
Impact: Global crypto markets were shaken as $500 million in cryptocurrency vanished overnight. Investors lost funds, exchanges faced backlash, and regulatory scrutiny increased worldwide.
Loss: $500 Million
Key Takeaway: Cryptocurrency platforms must shift towards cold storage wallets for enhanced security and ensure real-time anomaly detection.
Conclusion
As we move forward to 2025, the cybersecurity landscape will become more complex. Organisations should take proactive measures from implementing Zero Trust architectures to prioritising threat intelligence. and employee training. Governments also need to strengthen regulatory frameworks to protect sensitive data and critical systems.
For individuals, these attacks highlight the importance of personal vigilance avoiding phishing schemes. Online account protection and being informed about cyber threats Cybersecurity isn’t just the responsibility of IT teams or governments. It is a collective effort that requires awareness and action from everyone.
The future may bring even greater challenges. But with preparation and working together, we can weather the storm and build a safer digital world. Stay informed, stay safe, and remember Cyber protection starts with you.
