Last year, the number of digital extortion incidents in Europe increased by 60 percent. Belgian companies are relatively high on the attackers’ priority list.

In recent months, the number of cyber extortion cases has increased by 60 percent, according to analysis and research by Orange Cyberdefense. This is slightly less than the global average, where Orange recorded a 77 percent increase in the number of victims compared to the previous year.

In total, Orange Cyberdefense has confirmed more than 11,200 victims of ransomware or similar forms of extortion. The security specialist estimates that the actual number is at least fifty percent higher than the confirmed cases.

Top 10

Germany is the most affected country, with 159 companies affected last year. Belgium is in seventh place with 22 confirmed successful cyber attacks against companies. That is two places behind the Netherlands (58 cases). It is striking that Belgium and the Netherlands are relatively high up, leaving more populous countries such as Poland (20 cases) behind.

Although there is a steadily increasing trend in our country, just like in the rest of Europe and the world, the figures are somewhat striking. The Federal Police recently noted a decrease in Internet fraud. However, we are noticing that this form of crime is a little different and does not only target companies.

Double bad luck

Orange Cyberdefense identifies several other global trends in its report. Victims are therefore increasingly at risk of being re-targeted. Sometimes it is the same attackers who re-target an unfortunate target, but sometimes it is different ones.

Do attackers have a clear preference for certain sectors? Manufacturing is by far the most affected sector, followed by technical support services and healthcare. Over the last 12 months, all sectors have seen an increase in attacks, with a somewhat more notable exception being utilities, where the number of confirmed attacks fell slightly by three percent.

Successful countermeasures

Orange Cyberdefense notes that last year, law enforcement agencies left their mark on the digital underworld thanks to a series of successful operations. If international cooperation continues to bear fruit, the number of victims may stabilize in the future and not continue to rise.

However, the security specialist warns against optimism. The high number of victims in recent years could well become the norm. In any case, cooperation between police departments remains important.