The cyber security company KnowBe4 has just released a new report which reveals that cyber attacks against critical infrastructure have increased by 30 percent in one year.
KnowBe4, one of the world’s leading providers of security awareness training and simulated phishing, has published its latest report, ‘Cyber Attacks On Infrastructure: The New Geopolitical Weapon’. The report examines the rapidly increasing number of cyber attacks against critical infrastructure and provides insight into how to protect against the potentially devastating attacks.
In recent years, cyber-attacks targeting critical infrastructure have grown globally and now seriously pose a major threat to both national security and economic stability. Unlike other types of data breaches, the purpose of this type of attack is primarily to gain access to and/or control systems as well as espionage.
Not surprisingly, the energy, transport and telecommunications sectors are the primary targets. This can be explained by the fact that precisely those sectors, especially in developed countries, are increasingly dependent on digital technologies, which makes them particularly vulnerable to cyber attacks. The consequences of that type of attack are potentially catastrophic for the country they hit, which is why geopolitical adversaries have made it a powerful addition to their arsenal of digital weapons.
The report deals with attacks from all over the world and mentions, for example, incidents in both Denmark, Poland and the USA.
Key points from the report:
- The number of vulnerable points in the US power grid is growing by approximately 60 per day, and the total number has increased from 21,000 in 2022 to between 23,000 and 24,000 today.
- Globally, the average number of weekly cyber attacks against utilities has quadrupled since 2020, doubling in 2023 alone.
- Between January 2023 and January 2024, critical infrastructure worldwide was exposed to over 420 million attacks. This corresponds to 13 attacks per second and gives an increase of 30% from 2022.
According to KnowBe4’s ‘2024 Phishing by Industry Benchmarking Report’, critical infrastructure sectors such as healthcare and pharmaceuticals, as well as education and energy and utilities, are in the high-risk categories when it comes to employees becoming victims of phishing, and this vulnerability is widely exploited by cybercriminals to infiltrate networks and systems.
“The conclusions of our report are a serious wake-up call for critical infrastructure sectors, but while the increase in cyber-attacks is deeply worrying, it is important to remember that this is not a lost battle. We have a wide range of options, including by
promoting a strong safety culture that combines technology, processes and people, we can significantly reduce risks,” says Stu Sjouwerman, CEO at KnowBe4, adding:
“Every organization, regardless of size or sector, plays an active role in protecting our collective infrastructure, and it is time we see cyber security not just as an IT issue, but as a fundamental aspect of our operational resilience and national security “
The report highlights recent high-profile attacks on global critical infrastructure, their far-reaching impacts and provides actionable recommendations for organizations and institutions to improve their cyber resilience.
Click here for at downloade en kopi af KnowBe4s rapport ‘Cyber Attacks On Infrastructure: The New Geopolitical Weapon’.
About KnowBe4
KnowBe4 is the provider of the world’s largest platform for security awareness training and simulated phishing attacks, used by more than 65,000 organizations worldwide. Founded by IT and data security specialist Stu Sjouwerman, KnowBe4 helps organizations address the human factor in security by raising awareness of ransomware, CEO fraud and other social engineering tactics through a new approach to security awareness training. The late Kevin Mitnick, who was an internationally recognized cybersecurity specialist and KnowBe4’s Chief Hacking Officer, helped design the KnowBe4 training based on his well-documented social engineering tactics. Organizations rely on KnowBe4 to mobilize their end users as their last line of defense and rely on the KnowBe4 platform to strengthen their security culture and reduce human risk.
Source: it-kanalen.dk
