Cybersecurity threats continue to escalate at an unprecedented pace, with organizations facing more complex, interconnected, and high-stakes risks than ever before. A newly released 2025 Global Threat Intelligence Report (GTIR) provides critical insights into the evolving cyber landscape, equipping security leaders with the intelligence needed to mitigate the most pressing threats of the coming year.
Key Findings: A Rapidly Changing Threat Landscape
The report reveals four critical trends that are shaping the cybersecurity domain:
- A 33% Surge in Compromised Credentials: Over 3.2 billion credentials were stolen in 2024, fueling a wide range of cybercriminal activities, including ransomware and data breaches. In early 2025 alone, 200 million credentials have already been compromised.
- The Dominance of Information-Stealing Malware: Infostealers accounted for 75% of stolen credentials in 2024, infecting over 23 million devices worldwide. Their low cost, effectiveness, and accessibility have made them a key attack vector that organizations must monitor closely.
- Vulnerabilities Increased by 12%, with Over 39% Having Known Exploits: Attackers exploited vulnerabilities at an accelerating rate, targeting unpatched systems across industries. The sheer volume of vulnerabilities underscores the need for organizations to prioritize patching based on exploitability rather than severity alone.
- Ransomware Attacks Grew by 10%, Data Breaches by 6%: Ransomware remains one of the most financially and operationally damaging cyber threats, with major ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) groups responsible for nearly half of all attacks. The financial toll and reputational damage from these breaches continue to mount across all industries.
Expert Insights on the Cybersecurity Outlook
Andrew Borene, Executive Director of Global Security and International Markets at Flashpoint, emphasizes the evolving nature of cyber threats in the broader geopolitical context, referring to what he calls the “New Cold War.”
“Unlike the Cold War of the 20th century, today’s battlefield is asymmetric, decentralized, and constantly shifting. To navigate this reality, security professionals must adapt, using intelligence-driven strategies that anticipate and mitigate threats before they escalate into crises.”
Borene highlights how state-sponsored cyber activities, AI-driven misinformation, and economic espionage are becoming more integrated with traditional cybercriminal activities. The ability of security teams to leverage open-source intelligence (OSINT) will be pivotal in identifying and neutralizing emerging threats before they materialize into full-scale incidents.
Ian Gray, Flashpoint’s Vice President of Intelligence, highlights law enforcement’s increasing role in disrupting cybercriminal operations:
“2024’s cyberattacks did not occur without impunity, with law enforcement notably cracking down on ALPHV/BlackCat, LockBit, and BreachForums. In these interventions, multiple global law enforcement agencies seized cybercriminal infrastructure, arrested high-profile individuals, and attempted to disrupt parts of their cybercrime operations.”
A Proactive Approach: How Organizations Can Strengthen Their Defenses
The 2025 GTIR from Flashpoint recommends a proactive, intelligence-driven security strategy to stay ahead of threats. Key takeaways for security teams include:
- Enhancing Monitoring for Stolen Credentials: Regularly scanning illicit online marketplaces and forums for compromised corporate credentials can help organizations stay ahead of potential breaches.
- Mitigating Infostealer Threats: Given the rising use of information-stealing malware, organizations must prioritize endpoint security, employee education, and robust authentication protocols to minimize exposure.
- Prioritizing Exploitable Vulnerabilities: Instead of relying solely on CVSS severity scores, security teams should focus on vulnerabilities with publicly available exploit code, reducing their critical workload by up to 83%.
- Ransomware Resilience Planning: Organizations must have comprehensive incident response plans and proactive intelligence monitoring of RaaS groups to reduce the likelihood and impact of ransomware attacks.
The Path Forward: A More Resilient Cybersecurity Future
The cybersecurity landscape of 2025 presents significant challenges, but organizations can navigate these threats effectively with advanced intelligence, real-time monitoring, and a strategic approach to cybersecurity. As cybercriminals continue to adapt, the need for collaboration between private sector security teams, government agencies, and global intelligence organizations has never been greater.
