This week, the United States Intelligence Community released the 2024 version of its Annual Threat Assessment that “focuses on the most direct, serious threats to the United States primarily during the next year.”1 While these threats may be directed at the country as a whole, one thing should stand out from this assessment: private entities and organizations, especially within the critical infrastructure sector (e.g., financial services, energy, healthcare, etc.) are squarely in the crosshairs of some of our major adversaries as a means to achieve their goals. As stated in the assessment, organizations face cyber threats designed to disrupt critical services or create societal panic and division through cyber attacks or by leveraging advancements in AI to push disinformation. These threats are not limited to sophisticated nation state actors. Thanks to advancement in technologies, cybercriminals are well equipped to also cause major disruption targeting these same services.
For organizations thinking about some of the highest-level threats of 2024 and how to plan for and manage cyber risk, there are a few key takeaways from the Intelligence Community’s…
