Check Point Research (CPR) analyzed the first three months of the year and recently released global cyberattack statistics and trends for the first quarter of 2023, revealing that disruptions in the sector continue to rise.
While the volume of attacks has only slightly increased, we are seeing a number of sophisticated campaigns by cyber criminals who are finding ways to use legitimate tools for malicious gain. A recent example was the use of ChatGPT to create code that can help lesser-skilled threat actors effortlessly launch cyberattacks. The CPR team also discovered the Ransomware fastest ever seen, which demonstrates how attackers continue to commit cybercrime.
Despite the moderate increase, it's important not to get complacent. CISOs (Chief Information Security Officers) need to focus on developing and implementing a security strategy that eliminates any blind spots and weaknesses across the enterprise's digital landscape. This could be a parallel IT development environment, remote access, or an email vector that presents an opportunity for a cyber breach.
General Global Attacks
During the first quarter of 2023, the global average of weekly attacks increased by 7% compared to the same period in 2022, with each organization experiencing an average of 1.248 attacks per week.
1 in 31 organizations worldwide experienced a ransomware attack
Global Attacks by Industry
In Q2023 2.507, the Education/Research sector was hit the hardest with the most attacks, averaging 15 attacks per organization per week, which is a 2022% increase from Q1.725 3. The Public Administration/Defense sector was the second most targeted, with an average of XNUMX attacks per week, which indicates a XNUMX% year-on-year increase.
The Healthcare sector saw a significant increase in attacks, with an average of 1.684 attacks per week, which represents a substantial 22% increase over the previous year. However, the most significant change occurred in the Retail sector, which registered the highest increase, of 49%, compared to the previous year, with an average of 1.079 attacks per week. The Education/Research sector continued to be the most affected, with many institutions still grappling with the need to secure expanded networks and access points during the transition to distance learning.
Global Attacks by Region
In the first quarter of 2023, the Africa region saw the highest average number of weekly cyber-attacks per organization, with an average of 1.983 attacks, indicating a slight decrease of 2% compared to the first quarter of 2022. Asia-Pacific saw the most significant year-on-year increase in average weekly attacks per organization, up 16% to reach an average of 1.835 attacks per organization, followed by the North America region, which saw a year-on-year increase of 9% , reaching an average of 950 weekly attacks per organization.
What is the case of Angola in the first quarter of 2023?
Specifically on Angola, CPR data reveal that there was a weekly average of 1.974 attacks per organization, a figure that represents a 42% drop compared to the same period last year and represents the largest percentage decrease among all the countries analyzed in this report.
There is growing recognition of the dangers posed by cyber-attacks and their consequences, as evidenced by the introduction of regulations and policies in various countries. In the United States, cybersecurity regulation has recently been revised, and regulators are currently reviewing proposals to improve incident reporting, information disclosure, oversight, and modernize outdated legislation.
