The first half of 2024 has seen a dramatic rise in cyberattacks targeting critical sectors in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), with the telecommunications and construction industries bearing the brunt of the assault.
According to a report by Kaspersky Lab, the number of cyber incidents in these sectors has surged alarmingly compared to the same period in 2023.
The telecommunications sector was hit especially hard, with the number of recent attacks increasing more than tenfold compared to the previous year. The construction industry also saw a doubling of cyber incidents.
In terms of the total number of recorded incidents, telecommunications led the way with 340 incidents, followed by the media sector with 250 incidents, and healthcare with 175 incidents.
On average, more than two highly critical cyberattacks were detected daily in the first half of 2024.
Kaspersky Lab explained that these incidents often involve attacks requiring direct human intervention, where automated response procedures are less effective. Such situations typically demand the involvement of specialized response teams.
The company noted that the most common cause of these critical incidents in Russia and the CIS was malware attacks, particularly ransomware, which accounted for 57% of all high-criticality incidents.
20% of the incidents were attributed to various types of cyber exercises, while 11% were targeted attacks involving direct human participation.
