M-Trends 2025 data is based on more than 450,000 hours of Mandiant Consulting investigations. The metrics are based on investigations of targeted attack activity conducted between Jan. 1, 2024 and Dec. 31, 2024. Key findings in M-Trends 2025 include:
55% of threat groups active in 2024 were financially motivated, which marks a steady increase, and 8% of threat groups were motivated by espionage.
Exploits continue to be the most common initial infection vector (33%), and for the first time stolen credentials rose to the second most common in 2024 (16%).
The top targeted industries include financial (17.4%), business and professional services (11.1%), high tech (10.6%), government (9.5%), and healthcare (9.3%).
Global median dwell time rose to 11 days from 10 days in 2023. Global median dwell time was 26 days when external entities notified, 5 days when adversaries notified (notably in ransomware cases), and 10 days when organizations discovered malicious activity internally.
M-Trends 2025 dives deep into the aforementioned infostealer, cloud, and unsecured data repository trends, and several other topics, including:
Democratic People's Republic of Korea deploying citizens as remote IT contractors, using false identities to generate revenue and fund national interests.
Iran-nexus threat actors ramping up cyber operations in 2024, notably targeting Israeli entities and using a variety of methods to improve intrusion success.
Attackers targeting cloud-based stores of centralized authority, such as single sign-on portals, to gain broad access.
Increased targeting of Web3 technologies such as cryptocurrencies and blockchains for theft, money laundering, and financing illicit activities.
