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Every year, the state of cybersecurity evolves, and so do the threats looming on the horizon. In our new Blue Report 2024, we dive deep into the challenges of threat exposure management and provide actionable recommendations to harden your organization's defenses. Conducted by Picus Labs, this annual study analyzed over 136 million attack simulations to assess the effectiveness of security products. In this blog post, we’ll break down some of the key findings and explain why this report is a must-read for cybersecurity professionals and decision-makers alike.
40% of Environments Vulnerable to Total Take Over: A Wake-Up Call
Imagine an intruder having the master key to your home. Now, imagine that same scenario, but within your organization’s IT infrastructure. Alarming, isn't it? Our Blue Report 2024 found that 40% of tested environments had vulnerabilities that could lead to domain administrator access. "Like a cascade of falling dominoes that starts with a single push, small gaps in cybersecurity can lead to big breaches," says Dr. Suleyman Ozarslan, Picus Security co-founder, and VP of Picus Labs. Domain administrator level of access allows attackers to control user accounts, security settings, and remarkably, the entire network. It's like handing the keys to the kingdom to cybercriminals.
Prevention up, Detection down: A Cyber Defense Paradox
While there has been a notable improvement in prevention effectiveness, rising from 59% in 2023 to 69% in 2024, it’s not all good news. The detection effectiveness, especially alert scores, dropped from 16% to 12%. This means we are better at preventing some attacks, we are still struggling to detect them promptly. We need a balanced proactive security approach more than ever.
macOS: The Silent Weak Link in Your Cybersecurity Armor
Our research shows a significant gap in the protection of macOS systems. Security controls on macOS endpoints prevented only 23% of attacks compared to 62% and 65% for Windows and Linux. This is a clear call to action for security teams to focus more on macOS environments. "While Macs are often thought to be less vulnerable, our findings suggest that security teams are not allocating adequate resources to protect these systems," notes Volkan Ertürk, Picus Security co-founder and CTO.
Download the complete 2024 Blue Report here >
Common Passwords and Ransomware Challenges: The Continuing Struggle
It’s surprising to see 25% of the environments still use passwords that can be cracked by using common words. When it comes to ransomware, the findings are equally concerning. Organizations struggle significantly against threats like BlackByte, with only 17% success rate. These findings underline the need for stronger, more effective cybersecurity measures.
Ready to Learn More?
Download the Blue Report 2024 for a more comprehensive look at these findings and actionable recommendations to strengthen your defenses. Cybersecurity is a continuous battle that requires attention, innovation, and adaptation. Equip yourself and your organization with the knowledge to understand your risk, enhance your defenses and fix critial gaps to improve your security posture.proactively address cybersecurity challenges.
Download the Red Report 2024 and learn about the Top 10 ATT&CK Techniques used by malicious actors and discover tips to defend against evasive “hunter-killer” malware.
