Cybersecurity Report Shows Record Number of Cyberattacks in 2024

This post is also available in: עברית (Hebrew)

New report by cybersecurity company Check Point reveals that the first quarter of 2024 showed a significant increase in cyberattacks, with the most heavily targeted industries being research, government, military, and healthcare. The cybersecurity experts report seeing “an intriguing shift in the landscape of cyberattacks, both in frequency and in the nature of threats.”

According to Cybernews, during the first quarter of 2024, organizations suffered an average of 28% more cyberattacks compared to the previous quarter, and 5% more compared to the previous year. The average weekly number of cyberattacks per single organization stood at 1,308 – the highest ever recorded. The report also claims that the escalation is not just a number but “a stark reminder of the persistent and evolving threat landscape, and the substantial increase from Q4 2023 accentuates a worrying trend of rapid escalation in cyber threats.”

The industries that were most affected were education and research, which were targeted by 2454 attacks per organization weekly on average. The average weekly attacks on government and military organizations were 1692, and the number for healthcare was at 1605. The largest increase of attacks was seen with hardware vendors, who saw an increase of 37%, reaching 1185 attacks per organization weekly.

When looking at regions, Africa surged to the top with an average of 2373 attacks per week per organization (a 20% jump from 2023), while Latin America actually showed a 20% decline, indicating a possible shift in focus or improved defensive measures in the region. Check Point also mentioned the reason for this change could be a temporary shift in focus by cybercriminals on other more vulnerable regions across the world.

When looking to the future, the Check Point researchers warned: “Businesses must adopt a multi-faceted approach to cybersecurity, encompassing robust data backups, frequent cyber awareness training, timely security patches, strong user authentication, and advanced anti-ransomware solutions. Proactive engagement with AI-powered defenses can significantly bolster an organization’s resilience against these threats.”