Check Point Reports Q2 2024 Cyber Attack Surge

Check Point Research (CPR) has released its Q2 2024 cyber attack trends, revealing a significant global and UAE surge. The report highlights a 30% increase in global cyber attacks compared to the previous year, the highest in two years, and an 18% rise in the UAE. This surge is attributed to factors such as the growing use of advanced techniques by cybercriminals, including AI and machine learning, economic motivations like ransomware and phishing, and geopolitical tensions.

The Education/Research sector experienced the highest number of attacks, with 3,341 attacks per week, marking a 53% increase compared to Q2 2023. The Government/Military and Healthcare sectors followed, with 2,084 and 1,999 attacks per week, respectively. Notably, ransomware attacks with public extortion increased by 13%, with the Manufacturing sector being the most affected, showing a 56% rise in incidents.

Ram Narayanan, Country Manager at Check Point Software Technologies, Middle East, emphasized the urgency for robust cybersecurity measures. He highlighted the need for organizations to adopt advanced security strategies, including multi-layered defenses and proactive threat prevention, to combat the increasing sophistication of cybercriminals.

To mitigate these threats, organizations are advised to enhance their security posture by regularly updating and patching systems, conducting employee training, utilizing advanced threat prevention technologies, and implementing Zero Trust Architecture. Regular backups, incident response planning, network segmentation, and vulnerability management are also crucial.

The findings underscore the critical need for a comprehensive cybersecurity approach across all sectors, with immediate action required to protect against the growing cyber threat landscape. Organizations must prioritize cybersecurity to safeguard their data and systems from the relentless increase in attacks.