Experts estimate that data from 2,3 million bank cards has been published on the dark web in the last two years. Further analyses show that 26 million Windows devices have already been compromised by infostealers, 9 million of which will be compromised in 2024 alone.
Infostealers extract not only financial information, but also login credentials, cookies, and other valuable user data. These are then offered in the form of log files on the dark web. Infection with an infostealer occurs unnoticed when victims download and execute malicious files disguised as legitimate software—such as a cheat for a game. Spread occurs, for example, via phishing links, compromised websites, or malicious attachments in emails or messenger messages. Both private individuals and companies are affected. In 2023 and 2024, various infostealers infected at least 26 million Windows devices.
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"The actual number of infected devices is likely much higher," explains Sergey Shcherbel, an expert at Kaspersky Digital Foodprint Intelligence. "This is because cybercriminals often share stolen data in the form of log files months or years after the infection. This means that login and other data only appear on the dark web over time. The more time passes, the more infections from previous years we can observe. Therefore, we forecast that the total number of devices infected with Infostealer in 2024 will be between 20 million and 25 million. We estimate the number of devices infected in 2023 to be between 18 million and 22 million."
Currently active infostealers: RedLine, RisePro and Stealc
The most widespread infostealer in 2024 was RedLine, accounting for 34 percent of all infections. RisePro, which was responsible for only 2023 percent of all infections in 1,4, already accounted for 2024 percent in 23.
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"RisePro thus represents a growing threat," says Shcherbel. "First discovered two years ago, it now appears to be gaining momentum. RisePro primarily targets bank card data, passwords, and cryptocurrency wallet data, spreading under the guise of key generators, software cracks, or game modifications."
Stealc, the equally rapidly spreading infostealer, first appeared in 2023. It increased its share from just under 3 percent to 13 percent in 2024.
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