Security | Threat Detection | Cyberattacks | DevSecOps | Compliance

LevelBlue is proud to present the second edition of our biannual Threat Trends Report! This report builds on what we started in our first edition, providing cybersecurity teams with critical insights into current threats. Our second edition delves into threat actor activity observed in the first half of 2025 by LevelBlue Managed Detection and Response (MDR) and LevelBlue Labs threat intelligence teams.

How many times have you heard the phrase “don’t trust strangers”? The key point today is that many strangers disguise themselves as someone familiar, and that misplaced trust is what leads us to be deceived. Cybercriminals widely use this tactic, and it has a very specific name. Have you ever asked yourself, 'What is social engineering in cybersecurity?' A social engineering attack leverages human psychology through manipulation.

Companies face increasingly complex challenges every day, including cybersecurity threats aimed at disrupting their digital operations. One of the most frequent and damaging is the DDoS attack, which can take websites, applications, and critical services offline. Understanding what is a ddos attack is essential to identify risks, prevent attacks, and protect your organization’s digital infrastructure. In recent years, there have been attacks that marked a turning point in cybersecurity.

The internet isn’t always a safe place. Behind every click, every download, and every flashy pop-up ad, there might be something lurking that could bring down entire systems or steal sensitive information. That “something” goes by a name we’ve all heard: malware. But while the word gets used a lot, how many of us really know what it means? Or better yet, how many of us understand the different ways malware can mess with our data, our privacy, or even our businesses?

Let’s face it—cybersecurity is no longer a game of building taller walls or thicker locks. The old rules, the ones based on the idea that threats come only from outside, just don’t hold up anymore. In today’s digital world, where employees connect from anywhere, apps live in the cloud, and attackers can sit quietly inside your systems for weeks, trust has become a loaded word.

Text messages used to be a safe space—quick birthday wishes, delivery updates, maybe the odd emoji from a friend. But in today’s digital world, not every ping on your phone is innocent. Some are traps, carefully crafted to trick, scare, or confuse. One of the sneakiest tricks out there? Smishing. Yep, it’s a mashup of “SMS” and “phishing.” If phishing is the scam that hides behind a shady email, smishing is its text-based cousin.

In late May, I wrote a blog post titled “One Year of LevelBlue: Milestones, Momentum, and a Vision for the Future.” Year one for LevelBlue was definitely a time of growth, change, and excitement! Today, I am writing to highlight LevelBlue’s continued momentum in the market through two recently announced acquisitions. On June 11, LevelBlue announced its acquisition of Aon’s Cybersecurity and IP Litigation Consulting groups, Stroz Friedberg and Elysium Digital.

Software complexity is increasing at unprecedented levels. The average software supply chain now contains artifacts from open-source repositories, internally developed code, software developed by third-parties, and commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) software. All of this combines to run your business. The questions surrounding the software supply chain range from its visibility to its trustworthiness to the origin of the bits and bytes. The 2025 LevelBlue Data Accelerator.

Regardless of size or industry, all companies are exposed to potential cyber threats. Digitalization has brought countless benefits to today’s world, but as technology has evolved, so have the strategies used by cybercriminals to access and compromise company data and operations. Implementing computer network security has become a must. In recent years, cyberattacks have increased exponentially, posing a serious risk to organizational security.