Over 3400 High and Critical Cyber Alerts Recorded in First Half 2024

Over 3438 high and critical cyber alerts were recorded in the first half of 2024 with the US witnessing a 46.15% rise in attacks compared to 2023. .

The figures comes from a report by Critical Start’s Cyber Research Unit (CRU), which also suggested that manufacturing and industrial products remains the most targeted sector. The industry saw 377 confirmed ransomware and database leak incidents during this period.

Key Sector Vulnerabilities and Trends

The report, highlighted a 15% increase in cyber-attacks on professional services, with 351 cases reported compared to 334 in 2023. Legal services and supply chains are particularly at risk, given the wealth of intellectual property and sensitive data they possess. 

The technology sector saw a 12.75% decrease in database leaks and ransomware incidents over the same period. Meanwhile, healthcare and life sciences experienced a substantial 180% surge in ransomware and database leaks in February 2024, following attacks on major healthcare providers like Change Healthcare.

Read more on Change Healthcare: US Government to Investigate Change Healthcare Ransomware Attack

Emerging Threats and Recommendations

“I expect breaches and ransomware attacks to continue increasing throughout the rest of 2024, especially targeting healthcare, critical infrastructure, and supply chains,” said SlashNext email security and field CTO, Stephen Kowski, commenting on the report. “Recent high-profile incidents in these industries highlight the ongoing vulnerabilities.”

“As we move towards 2025, major ransomware trends will likely continue to include more targeted attacks on critical infrastructure, increased use of AI for evasion and expansion of double extortion tactics,” Kowki explained.

Emerging threats noted in the report include a shift in business email compromise (BEC) attacks, which now increasingly target smaller businesses. 

Confirming Kowski’s view, the report also underscores a 3000% spike in deepfake fraud attempts. Additionally, the abuse of open-source repositories is becoming a prominent issue, with attackers leveraging these platforms for repo confusion and supply chain attacks.

“To better prepare for future attacks, organizations must focus on building resilience through a zero-trust security model, which limits access based on strict verification protocols, and by enforcing the principle of least-privilege access,” warned Keeper Security CEO, Darren Guccione.

“Additionally, the integration of real-time threat intelligence and continuous monitoring can help identify vulnerabilities and potential threats before they escalate into full-blown incidents.”