A new report out today from managed detection and response company Critical Start Inc. reveals a significant uptick in cyberattacks across multiple industries, with healthcare and manufacturing emerging as primary targets in the first half of 2024.

The biannual Critical Start Cyber Intelligence Report features the top threats observed in the first of 2024 and emerging cybersecurity trends impacting the manufacturing, healthcare, technology, professional services, engineering and construction industries. Through the first half of the year, the Critical Start Cyber Research Unit analyzed 3,438 high and critical alerts generated by 20 supported endpoint detection and response solutions, as well as 4,602 reports detailing ransomware and database leaks across 24 industries in 126 countries.

The report found that manufacturing and industrial products remained the top target industry by threat acts in the first half of 2024, with 377 confirmed reports of ransomware and database leaks. Healthcare and life sciences were also heavily targeted, with database leaks and ransomware surging by 180% in February compared to the same time in the previous year.

Professional services saw an increase in reported database leaks and ransomware attacks, up 15% in the first half of the year, coming in at 351 cases versus 334 in the first half of 2023. Legal service organizations, including courthouses and supply chains, are also noted to have become prime targets due to the wealth of intellectual property and sensitive data they possess.

Engineering and construction industries were also increasingly targeted, with companies in the sector in the U.S. seeing a 46% increase in the first half of 2024. Bucking the trend, technology companies surprisingly saw nearly a 13% decrease in database leaks and ransomware attacks compared to the first half of 2023.

The report also highlights emerging threats, including a shift of business email compromise attacks from large corporations to smaller, less secure businesses. The report also reveals a 3,000% surge in deepfake fraud attempts and increasing misuse of open-source repositories for repo confusion and supply chain attacks.

“The first half of 2024 has painted a concerning picture of the ransomware threat landscape,” said Callie Guenther, senior manager of cyberthreat research at Critical Start. “With bad actors becoming more sophisticated, it is vital for organizations to have a strong security culture and strategy in place. MDR solutions that integrate asset inventory, endpoint controls security coverage and MITRE ATT&CK mitigations help organizations proactively mitigate risk, leading to a reduced attack surface and a more resilient security infrastructure.”

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