As many as 85 percent of hacker attacks are now directed to Europe, according to a recent information security report. Ransomware campaigns targeting large companies in particular have increased sharply. You have to be prepared for threats, especially in countries that are geographically close to Ukraine.
The overwhelming majority of cyber attacks are currently directed at Europe.
Telecom group Orange’s cyber security unit, Orange Cyberdefense, tells in its report about the worrying growth of ransomware.
The company says that its security teams handled no less than 30 percent more cases related to ransomware this year than a year ago.
Traditionally, hackers have also been after some kind of financial gain, but according to Orange Cyberdefense, currently more and more attackers are politically or ideologically motivated.
– We have observed a global increase in the number of victims of online blackmail and a significant increase in hacking activism related to the war against Ukraine. Current geopolitical events have made extortion activities more politically oriented than before, Orange Cyberdefense’s press release says.
In the last 12 months, the number of victims of online blackmail has increased by as much as 46 percent worldwide. 40 percent of extortion attacks currently target large companies.
The number of hacker groups is increasing
There is a lot of work to be done in preventing extortion operations, because different groups are created more than they disappear. Orange Cyberdefense calculated that 25 cyber extortion groups had disappeared since last year and 23 had survived. 31 new groups were found.
The security company says that in the last two years, activities to support political or social goals have clearly increased in hacktivism, i.e. activism targeting information networks.
– The pro-Russian hacktivists we monitor have had the greatest impact on Ukraine, Poland and Sweden. This rising trend is further exacerbated by other geopolitical events that have spawned new groups, most recently as a result of recent events in the Middle East, the report states.
Europe in sight
According to Orange Cyberdefense, no less than 85 percent of all detected hacker attacks are directed at Europe.
– Most of the countries that have been attacked more often than average are geographically close to the war in Ukraine, the company says.
Attacks are currently being targeted especially at companies operating in the industrial and retail sectors.