42% of IT leaders worldwide fear threat is imminent and have already reported an act of cyberwarfare to authorities
Global IT leaders acknowledge rising threats from China, Russia and North Korea
Armis, the asset intelligence cybersecurity company, is warning that global elections will be the largest attack vector
for nation-state actors looking to cause mass disruption in 2024.
Data from Armis’ second annual global cyberwarfare report, The Invisible Front Line: AI-Powered Cyber Threats Illuminate the Dark Side, show organisations and governments worldwide face critical threat levels from sophisticated nation-states and
admittedly are severely underprepared to defend against impending cyberwarfare attacks.
“In the biggest global election year in history, democracy is the primary target of nation-state threat actors,” said
Nadir Izrael, CTO and Co-Founder, Armis. “Make no mistake - we are in a cyber arms race against our adversaries and
society as we know it is at risk. It’s essential that we immediately shift from a reactive to a proactive, defensive
stance before it’s too late.”
Thirty-nine percent of IT leaders worldwide believe cyberwarfare could affect the integrity of an electoral process and
42% believe cyberwarfare could target the media. As half of the global population across 76 nations prepare to head to
the polls this year, this pre-existing doubt in the sanctity of the electoral process has laid the groundwork for
calculated assaults on public trust. When successful, cyberwarfare attacks could destabilise economies and cripple
entire commercial and societal systems.
Additionally, 60% of IT leaders say digital transformation projects have stalled or stopped entirely due to cyberwarfare
risks. However, innovation has not stalled for bad actors who continue to push the boundaries. Elite researchers from
Armis Labs have uncovered the tactics of nation-state actors affiliated with Russia, North Korea, Iran and China that
are using AI for advanced cyber capabilities. Armis Labs is also seeing an increase in the combination of weaponised
vulnerabilities being used by threat actors in a single attack.
“Relying on legacy technologies and manual security processes is the equivalent of bringing a knife to a gunfight, given
the threats we’re up against and the arsenal of nation-state actors,” continued Izrael. “It is critical that security
leaders fight fire with fire, leveraging AI-powered solutions that empower them with actionable intelligence before a
vulnerability is announced, before an attack is launched and before their organisation is impacted. Forewarned is
forearmed.”
Evan Thomas, Channel Director, ANZ at Armis said, "We are facing the greatest risks to Australia and New Zealand’s
critical infrastructure and society as we know it, as reports of regular targeted and opportunistic cyberattacks from
nation-state actors continue to surge. The developing AUKUS defence partnership, along with the complexities of multiple
geopolitical challenges, have led to unprecedented levels of sophistication and scale in our threat landscape. The spike
in attacks on critical infrastructure combined with the alarming findings from Armis’ threat intelligence emphasises a
clear need for organisations to immediately prioritise cybersecurity.
To do this, organisations across Australia and New Zealand need to urgently shift their cybersecurity strategies from
reactive to proactive, as that’s the only way to effectively defend against these significant cyber threats. Cyber
awareness and readiness must remain at the top of every organisation’s list of strategic priorities, as should the
deployment of AI-powered technology that enables security teams to stop nation-state attacks before they impact their
organisation."
Armis Centrix™ for Actionable Threat Intelligence is an early warning, AI-based system that leverages dark web, dynamic
honeypots and human intelligence (HUMINT) to anticipate threats, understand their potential impact and take preemptive
action to neutralise them, effectively moving the security posture from defense to offense.
The 2024 Armis Cyberwarfare Report, The Invisible Front Line: AI-Powered Cyber Threats Illuminate the Dark Side, is
based on a study of over 2,600 global IT decision-makers and proprietary data from Armis Labs.
About Armis
Armis, the asset intelligence cybersecurity company, protects the entire attack surface and manages the organization's
cyber risk exposure in real time. In a rapidly evolving, perimeter-less world Armis ensures that organizations
continuously see, protect and manage all critical assets. Armis secures Fortune 100, 200 and 500 companies as well as
national governments, state and local entities to help keep critical infrastructure, economies and society stay safe and
secure 24/7. Armis is a privately held company headquartered in California.