April 2025 Cybersecurity Threat Trends

Overview: The State of Cybersecurity in April 2025

April 2025 witnessed a surge in cybersecurity threats, marked by a 45% increase in threat detection volume and more targeted attacks. The rise of AI in cybercrime fueled sophisticated ransomware and phishing campaigns. Retail and transportation sectors saw increased attacks, while healthcare and manufacturing remained targets. New vulnerabilities, including zero-day exploits in Microsoft and WordPress, were actively exploited. Cybercriminals focused on remote access, used living-off-the-land techniques, and leveraged AI for automation and social engineering. Geopolitical events, such as the Russia-Ukraine war, influenced state-sponsored attacks. Experts predicted continued AI-driven attacks, ransomware evolution, and identity theft. Recommended security measures included email security, MFA, and vulnerability management.

The Evolving Threat Landscape

Cybersecurity data around April 2025 showed a significant 45% increase in threat detection volume, indicating more frequent and sophisticated attacks. These attacks were more targeted, focusing on specific organizational vulnerabilities and high-value data. AI played a growing role, with cybercriminals using it to enhance phishing attacks and even aid in malware development, as seen with the Black Basta group. The expanding digital footprint, complex supply chains (e.g., GitHub Actions, Royal Mail), and the rise of Cybercrime-as-a-Service (CaaS) on the darknet further complicated the landscape.

Prevalent Cyberattack Trends in April 2025

Key cyberattack trends observed in April 2025 included:

• Ransomware: Ransomware activity remained high, with 2,197 incidents in Q1 2025. The Cl0p group resurged, becoming the second most active. Akira ransomware also increased, exploiting VPN vulnerabilities. Retail (74.71%), transportation (63.51%), and public administration (39.19%) saw significant increases in attacks. Black Basta used AI tools like ChatGPT. Manufacturing, financial, and business services were also heavily targeted. The Cleo breach affecting Hertz customers was linked to ransomware.
• Phishing and Social Engineering: Phishing remained the most common threat, with increasing sophistication due to AI advancements. AI enabled the creation of more convincing emails, deepfakes, and voice cloning. DocuSign, DHL, and PayPal were the most impersonated brands in Q1 2025. The M&S cyber incident also led to related phishing attempts.
• Malware (including Infostealers and RATs): Infostealer malware remained prevalent, with a rise in dark web activity related to Redline. Fortinet reported a 500% increase in infostealer logs on underground forums. RATs like Xeno RAT and SparkRAT were active. A new ransomware strain, Qilra, was discovered. XorDDoS malware targeting Linux systems also spread globally.
• Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs): State-sponsored APT groups, particularly from China and Russia, were highly active. Telecommunications was the most targeted sector (47%), followed by transportation and shipping. China-affiliated actors increasingly exploited zero-day vulnerabilities in network edge devices. Iran also targeted aerospace and satellite infrastructure.
• Supply Chain Attacks: Supply chain attacks posed significant risks, exemplified by the GitHub Actions compromise affecting SpotBugs and Reviewdog. The Royal Mail breach originated from a third-party supplier, Spectos. Verizon's report indicated that third-party involvement in breaches doubled to 30%.

Industry-Specific Threat Analysis

Various industries faced specific cybersecurity threats in April 2025:

• Telecommunications was the top target for APTs.
• Transportation and shipping also faced significant threats.
• The technology sector, including security vendors, saw increased attacks.
• Retail experienced a surge in ransomware (74.71%).
• Manufacturing saw a rise in data breaches and espionage.
• Healthcare remained a prime target for financial gain and espionage.
• Public administration also faced more ransomware.
• Finance and government institutions were consistently targeted.
• Education and space systems also faced threats.
• The alleged Oracle Cloud breach impacted cloud services.

Newly Discovered Vulnerabilities and Exploits

April 2025 saw the disclosure of several new vulnerabilities:

• Microsoft's April 2025 update addressed 121 vulnerabilities, including an actively exploited zero-day in Windows Common Log File System (CVE-2025-29824) and 11 critical RCE vulnerabilities.
• Numerous vulnerabilities were found in WordPress plugins.
• CISA added several vulnerabilities to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, including flaws in Broadcom, Qualitia, and Commvault.
• Apple devices also had actively exploited zero-day vulnerabilities (CVE-2025-31200 and CVE-2025-31201).
• SonicWall warned about an actively exploited old vulnerability.
• Concerns arose about the future of vulnerability tracking due to potential funding issues for MITRE's CVE program.

Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) of Cybercriminals

Cybercriminals employed various TTPs in April 2025:

• Exploiting remote access technologies and using stolen credentials remained key tactics.
• Social engineering attacks became more sophisticated with AI-generated phishing emails and deepfakes.
• Living Off the Land (LOTL) techniques were increasingly used.
• Targeting security vendors and abusing legitimate platforms like Visual Studio Code and GitHub were observed.
• RATs like Xeno RAT and SparkRAT were deployed for persistent access.
• Exploitation of vulnerabilities in Microsoft, Ivanti, and Fortinet products rose.
• Qilra ransomware used WMI and anti-debugging techniques.

Impact of Geopolitical Events on Cybersecurity

Geopolitical events continued to influence the cyber landscape:

• The Russia-Ukraine conflict intensified cyber activities.
• US trade policy shifts correlated with increased Chinese cyber activity.
• Iranian cyber activity increased potentially due to US sanctions.
• Space competition led to concerns about counterspace weapons and cyberattacks on space systems.
• Concerns about Chinese state-backed infrastructure infiltration and industrial espionage persisted.
• GPS jamming and spoofing in conflict zones were noted.
• The US Department of Justice implemented a program to protect sensitive American data from foreign adversaries.

Future Outlook: Cybersecurity Threats Beyond April 2025

Experts predicted the following trends beyond April 2025:

• A surge in AI-driven attacks, including sophisticated phishing and evasive malware.
• Ransomware was expected to evolve towards data exfiltration and evade AI defenses.
• Realistic cloned identities using AI and OSINT posed a challenge.
• Cloud environment attacks were expected to increase, targeting vulnerabilities and supply chains.
• IoT and edge devices would become more attractive targets.
• Emerging cybersecurity regulations (e.g., UK Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, EU's DORA, US SEC rules, CMMC) would drive changes.
• The cybersecurity skills shortage was expected to continue.
• Post-quantum threats were also a growing concern.

Recommended Security Measures and Best Practices

To counter these threats, the following security measures were recommended:

• Strengthening email security, implementing MFA, and timely patching is crucial.
• Enhancing threat detection and monitoring with AI-powered solutions is recommended.
• Improving supply chain security through third-party risk management is advised.
• Security awareness training for employees remains vital.
• Adopting a Zero-Trust architecture is recommended.
• Developing incident response and disaster recovery plans is essential.
• Implementing AI governance policies and staying informed about evolving regulations is also important.
• The US Department of Justice recommended deploying CISA security requirements.