The healthcare sector in Belgium remains the most affected sector, with an average of 2,783 attacks per week. Cyber ​​attacks are increasing worldwide, with an increase of thirty percent.

Research from security firm Check Point shows that there was a sharp increase in cyberattacks in the second quarter of 2024. Belgium saw a 31 percent increase in attacks compared to the previous quarter, while the Netherlands saw a 33 percent increase. Luxembourg saw the largest increase at 102 percent.

Most attacks on Belgian companies come from the United States (45%), Belgium itself (13%) and the Netherlands (6%). The healthcare sector is the most affected, with an average of 2,783 attacks per week, followed by government institutions and military organizations (1,628 attacks per week) and the financial sector (1,391 attacks per week).

Specific challenges in the healthcare sector

Healthcare, the third most attacked sector globally, saw an average of 1,999 weekly attacks per organization in the second quarter of 2024, a 15 percent increase year-over-year. Hackers target hospitals because of their often limited cybersecurity resources. Smaller hospitals are particularly vulnerable due to a lack of resources and staff to fend off advanced cyberattacks.

In Belgium, healthcare is the sector most affected. Hackers are looking for information about health insurance, medical records and sometimes even social security numbers, making this sector a lucrative target.

In Belgium, Remote Code Execution (RCE) is the most common vulnerability, accounting for 62% of all vulnerabilities. An RCE attack allows an attacker to execute malicious code on a company’s systems, which can lead to the introduction of further malware or the theft of sensitive data.

FakeUpdates, a downloader written in JavaScript, is the most widespread malware in Belgium. Malicious files are distributed via the Internet as often as via email.

Global trends in cyber attacks

Globally, cyber attacks increased by 30 percent in the second quarter of 2024 compared to the same quarter of 2023. On average, there are 1,636 attacks per organization per week, highlighting the increasing sophistication and persistence of threat actors.

The education and research sector remains a major target worldwide due to the large amount of sensitive information and often inadequate cybersecurity measures. This sector saw a 53 percent increase in attacks in Q2 2024 compared to Q2 2023, with an average of 3,341 attacks per week.

The government and military sector was the second most targeted sector globally, with 2,084 attacks per week, reflecting the high use of cyber espionage and disruption at the state level.