Kaspersky Reveals Industrial Cybersecurity Forecasts for 2024
During the ninth annual Kaspersky Cybersecurity Conference for the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (Cyber Security Weekend - META), held last week in Kuala Lumpur, Kaspersky presented a summary of the main cybersecurity challenges facing industrial organizations in the coming year.
According to statistics released by Kaspersky Security Network (KSN) in the second half of 2023, 32.6% of industrial control system PCs globally had been attacked with malicious software. In the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa, this number reached 36.5%, with Turkey reaching 36.8%.
The results revealed a minor decline in these percentages at the regional level compared to the percentages in 2022, which may be related to the growing interest of industrial enterprises in cybersecurity.
The results revealed a minor decline in these percentages at the regional level compared to the percentages in 2022, which may be related to the growing interest of industrial enterprises in cybersecurity.
The Middle East is regarded as one of the world's most important locations, attracting a wide mix of cultures, races, and backgrounds, which helps to unite cybersecurity cultural challenges in Africa, Asia, and other regions.
Specifically, during the second half of 2023, 2.55% of OT computers were exposed to threats via USB-connected devices - more than seven times the number recorded in Western Europe - while 3.6% of devices were infected with worms (worms) - about 14 times higher than infections recorded in Australia and New Zealand - and 8.1% of computers used in operational technologies were exposed to spyware (about seven times higher than in North America).
Specifically, during the second half of 2023, 2.55% of OT computers were exposed to threats via USB-connected devices - more than seven times the number recorded in Western Europe - while 3.6% of devices were infected with worms (worms) - about 14 times higher than infections recorded in Australia and New Zealand - and 8.1% of computers used in operational technologies were exposed to spyware (about seven times higher than in North America).
Industrial cybersecurity forecasts in 2024:
Kaspersky believes that the industrial cybersecurity ecosystem will continue to evolve in 2024, with many major themes emerging. Efforts to improve the performance of IoT systems have exposed them to greater cyberattacks, while rising carrier fees have raised hardware costs, driving a strategic shift to cloud services.
On the other side, growing government participation in industrial operations has created new forms of hazards, such as concerns about data leakage caused by unqualified personnel and inadequate methods for responsibly disclosing threats and risks.
This analysis of prior events, data, and scenarios will assist in reaching a greater knowledge of the cybersecurity landscape that industrial enterprises will encounter in the current year 2024, including
On the other side, growing government participation in industrial operations has created new forms of hazards, such as concerns about data leakage caused by unqualified personnel and inadequate methods for responsibly disclosing threats and risks.
This analysis of prior events, data, and scenarios will assist in reaching a greater knowledge of the cybersecurity landscape that industrial enterprises will encounter in the current year 2024, including
1- Ransomware targeting important institutions:
Ransomware threats are predicted to remain a significant worry for industrial enterprises in 2024. Large corporations, unique product suppliers, and major logistical firms are increasingly at danger, with potentially disastrous economic and societal effects. Expectations indicate that cybercriminals would target organizations capable of paying big ransoms, causing interruptions in manufacturing and delivery activities.
2- Hacking activity to protest global policies:
Geopolitically motivated cyber piracy is predicted to increase, potentially leading to even more disastrous repercussions. In addition to country-specific protest movements, global political piracy is projected to emerge due to macro-social, cultural, and economic agendas.
3- Challenges of micro-threats and ways to detect them:
The employment of (offensive cybersecurity) to acquire information on cyber risks may have debatable consequences. Because this may include additional dangers of blurring the distinctions between legal and criminal activity, it may improve company security by identifying early signals of prospective network security violations in some way.
Cybercriminals may use freely available commercial tools to conduct covert operations for profit, making their activities more difficult to identify and investigate.
Cybercriminals may use freely available commercial tools to conduct covert operations for profit, making their activities more difficult to identify and investigate.
4- Shifts in threats to logistics services:
, combining cybercrime and regular offenses. This involves the theft of vehicles and cargo, as well as marine piracy and smuggling.
According to Yevgeny Goncharov, Head of Kaspersky's Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT), cybersecurity in the industrial sector is constantly evolving with new and sophisticated attacks. Ransomware assaults continue to be a major issue, while hackers use more advanced strategies to target huge corporations. On the other hand, hacktivists motivated by social reasons are growing more active, adding a degree of complexity to the dangers. Organizations must prioritize cybersecurity and continue to improve their defenses to secure their resources and assets.
According to Yevgeny Goncharov, Head of Kaspersky's Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT), cybersecurity in the industrial sector is constantly evolving with new and sophisticated attacks. Ransomware assaults continue to be a major issue, while hackers use more advanced strategies to target huge corporations. On the other hand, hacktivists motivated by social reasons are growing more active, adding a degree of complexity to the dangers. Organizations must prioritize cybersecurity and continue to improve their defenses to secure their resources and assets.
