WIRED published a rating of the most dangerous people and organizations for 2024. We chose the main ones.
What happened
WIRED has compiled an annual rating of the people and organizations that posed the greatest threat on the Internet in 2024. According to the publication, this year's list not only maintained, but also strengthened its influence compared to last year.
The rating included influential businessmen, cybercriminals, fraudsters and hacker groups operating with the support of various states.
Elon Musk
The world’s richest man used X to spread anti-immigrant and anti-progressive rhetoric to his 200 million followers. His company, xAI, released an image-creation tool that was immediately used to discredit celebrities. Musk personally posted a deepfake of Kamala Harris that garnered 150 million views.
Donald Trump
Returned to X thanks to Musk, despite being banned after storming the Capitol. Spreading false claims that FEMA spent money on migrants instead of helping hurricane victims. He promised to use digital surveillance for mass deportations and persecution of opponents after victory.
Volt Typhoon
A Chinese hacking group has infiltrated critical US infrastructure. Experts believe they are preparing large-scale cyberattacks in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. Xi Jinping has ordered the army to be ready for such an invasion by 2027.
Sandworm
A unit of the Russian military intelligence agency GRU, responsible for the largest cyberattacks of the decade. Caused at least three blackouts in Ukraine and caused $10 billion in damage with the NotPetya virus. Attacked Ukraine's energy sector again in the fall of 2024.
Israeli army and intelligence
They use artificial intelligence to identify targets in Gaza. They destroyed 80% of the region's telecommunications infrastructure, causing an information blockade. They hid explosives in pagers and walkie-talkies, trying to eliminate Hezbollah militants.
Black Cat/AlphV
Hackers attacked the American healthcare system Change Healthcare, which processes 40% of insurance payments in the US. They received a $22 million ransom, but continued to block the system. This caused some clinics and hospitals to go bankrupt.
The Com
A community of young hackers on Telegram and Discord, many of whom are only 13-19 years old. They are engaged in everything from stealing cryptocurrencies to sexual blackmail and child abuse. Their Scattered Spider group has hacked more than a hundred customers of the cloud provider Snowflake.
Data brokers
Companies that collect and sell Americans' personal data, including their location. The LocateX service tracks visitors to abortion clinics and mosques. Near Intelligence accidentally exposed the data of hundreds of visitors to Jeffrey Epstein's island.
Character.AI
A startup with $2.7 billion in investment from Google whose chatbots are accused of inciting children to commit suicide. The bots also encouraged eating disorders and imitated school shooters. The company has not yet introduced an age restriction.
Crypto Scammers
In 2024, $37 billion was stolen through investment scams. They use forced labor on 200,000 people in Southeast Asia, who are kept in electric shackles. Their activities have spread to the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and West Africa.