SCYTHE 2024 Year in Review: Advancing Cybersecurity Excellence

2024 has been a remarkable year for SCYTHE, defined by innovation, impactful client engagements, and a commitment to advancing adversarial emulation and validation. As the threat landscape evolves, SCYTHE has empowered organizations to stay ahead by proactively testing their defenses and validating their security controls.

 Here's a look back at the trends, achievements, and milestones that shaped our year.

Key Trends: The Growing Importance of Adversarial Emulation

This year, organizations faced a record number of sophisticated attacks, with phishing, ransomware, and insider threats leading the charge. Key statistics reinforced the need for platforms like SCYTHE:

• 85% of organizations reported a major breach linked to a missed detection.

• Attackers exploited misconfigurations in 60% of successful breaches, highlighting the importance of proactive hygiene validation.

• 92% of CISOs cited a lack of visibility into their attack surface as a top concern.

Implementing SCYTHE's Adversarial Emulation and Validation Platform (AEV) / Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS+) platform offers organizations quantifiable benefits that enhance security posture and operational efficiency.

Here are the top five business advantages, supported by industry statistics:

1️⃣ Reduced Risk of Breaches

Proactive Vulnerability Identification: By emulating real-world adversarial behaviors, SCYTHE enables organizations to identify and remediate vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. This proactive approach is crucial, as the average cost of a data breach in critical infrastructure sectors was $4.82 million in 2023, $1 million higher than other industries.

2️⃣ Improved Detection Accuracy

Enhanced Security Controls: SCYTHE's platform allows for continuous testing and validation of security controls, ensuring they effectively detect and prevent sophisticated attacks. Organizations prioritizing security investments based on a Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) program, which includes BAS tools, are projected to realize a two-thirds in breaches by 2026.

3️⃣ Enhanced ROI on Security Investments

Optimized Resource Allocation: By validating the effectiveness of existing security tools, SCYTHE ensures that organizations maximize the value of their cybersecurity investments, reducing unnecessary expenditures and focusing resources on critical areas. This approach leads to a more efficient allocation of security budgets and improved overall ROI.

4️⃣ Strengthened Team Preparedness

Improved Incident Response: SCYTHE's platform facilitates realistic attack simulations, enhancing the readiness and collaboration of security teams. This preparation is vital, as organizations with an incident response team that regularly tests their plan can reduce the average cost of a data breach by $2.66 million.

5️⃣ Regulatory Compliance and Audit Readiness

Continuous Compliance Validation: SCYTHE assists organizations in maintaining compliance with industry standards by providing continuous validation of security controls. This capability is essential, as non-compliance can result in significant financial penalties and reputational damage. 

SCYTHE's Adversarial Emulation and Validation Platform has become indispensable for organizations looking to address these challenges. By simulating real-world adversarial behaviors, we’ve enabled our clients to uncover hidden vulnerabilities, validate their security controls, and improve their overall resilience.

Key Releases: Empowering Teams with Cutting-Edge FeaturesThreat Library Expansion (Versions 4.1, 4.2, 4.3):

In 2024, SCYTHE introduced a series of releases that expanded our threat library to include:

🦄 Cyber hygiene and compliance testing.

🦄 Indicators of compromise (IOC) validation.

🦄 Advanced ransomware and APT content tailored for Windows, macOS, Linux, and cloud environments.

These updates empower teams to emulate the most relevant and sophisticated threats to their organizations, delivering actionable insights and enhancing their defensive strategies.

• Launch of Assessments: This groundbreaking documentation product simplifies the process of capturing objectives, actions, and outcomes campaign by campaign. Assessments enable teams to measure and track improvements in their security posture with unparalleled clarity and efficiency.

• No-Code/Low-Code Integration Framework: Powered by Workato, our new integration framework seamlessly connects SCYTHE with key tools like EDR, SIEM, ITSM, and more. This framework accelerates workflows, enabling organizations to automate responses and streamline their security operations.

• One-Touch On-Prem Installation: In 2024, SCYTHE introduced a one-touch on-prem installation designed for both networked and air-gapped environments. This solution makes it easier than ever for organizations to deploy SCYTHE in any infrastructure, including critical OT/ICS systems.

Recognition and Achievements:

SCYTHE received the prestigious EPRI ADVEDIA Award for leadership in OT/ICS security, underscoring our commitment to protecting critical infrastructure.

Version 4.3 revolutionized threat emulation and exposure management, solidifying SCYTHE’s position as a leader in the cybersecurity space.

Strong Client Wins Across Industries

In 2024, SCYTHE expanded its footprint across key verticals, driving value for some of the world’s most critical sectors:

• Energy: Partnered with major utilities to enhance OT/ICS security, including pioneering efforts in adversarial emulation for substations.

• Finance and Banking: Supported leading institutions with advanced detection engineering and compliance testing.

• Insurance: Empowered insurers to validate their defenses against ransomware and insider threats.

• Manufacturing: Secured one of the largest global OEMs, enhancing their hybrid IT and OT cybersecurity capabilities.

• Transportation and Logistics: Strengthened security for global supply chain operators, ensuring resilience against evolving threats.

Join Upcoming Threat Thursdays

📅 January 9th, 12 PM EST

Topic: PowerShell Web Access Join us for a 20-minute dive into PowerShell Web Access. Learn about its legitimate uses, potential risks from adversaries, and techniques to detect and analyze commands. Whether you're on the blue team or red team, this session will enhance your understanding of this powerful tool. 👉 Register here

📅 January 30th, 12 PM EST

Topic: Endpoint Hygiene (Linux, macOS, Windows) This session focuses on strengthening endpoint security across multiple operating systems. Learn how to run targeted campaigns, conduct CAT I STIG checks, and establish a robust baseline of cyber hygiene. Perfect for anyone looking to improve their organization's security posture. 👉 Register here

Don't miss these opportunities to sharpen your skills and stay ahead in the cybersecurity landscape!

Looking Ahead to 2025

As we close out 2024, we remain laser-focused on delivering innovative solutions to help our clients stay ahead of the curve. With groundbreaking advancements in threat emulation, validation, and integrations, SCYTHE is poised to lead the cybersecurity industry into 2025 and beyond.

Thank you to our clients, partners, and team members for making this year extraordinary. Together, we’re redefining what’s possible in proactive cybersecurity.