Report by HP Wolf Security
HP Wolf Security Threat Insights Report: January 2025
Key Findings
Of detected email threats, 11% were able to bypass email gateway scanners in Q3 2024, a 1% decrease compared to Q2 2024.
Malicious spreadsheets (e.g. XLS, XLSX) totaled 7% of threats detected in Q3 2024.
Email was the primary method for delivering malware to endpoints, accounting for 52% of threats in Q3 2024. This represents a 9% decrease compared to Q2 2024.
Executables and scripts were the most popular type of malware delivery file, making up 40% of threats in Q3 2024. This is a 5% point increase compared to Q2 2024.
8% of detected threats in Q3 2024 relied on documents such as Microsoft Word formats (e.g. DOC, DOCX).
PDF files were responsible for 9% of threats detected in Q3 2024, showing a 2% point rise compared to Q2 2024.
Archive files were the second most popular file type for malware delivery in Q3 2024, accounting for 34% of threats. The top five archive file formats used were ZIP, RAR, LZH, 7Z, and GZ3.
Web browser downloads were the second most common malware delivery method to endpoints, responsible for 28% of threats in Q3 2024. This is a 10% increase compared to Q2 2024.
Threats delivered by other vectors (such as removable media) to endpoints accounted for 20% of threats in Q3 2024, a 1% decrease compared to the previous quarter.