The current geopolitical scenario has led to a 43% increase in the number of cyberattacks targeting essential operators in Spain, according to an analysis by the Spanish technology company Pandora FMS. The most affected sectors have been transportation and finance, accounting for 24.6% and 23.8% respectively.
Essential and important operators, according to INCIBE and based on the new NIS2 regulation, are those companies or services that are highly relevant to the proper functioning of society. For example, transportation, energy, or communications. While in 2023 the number was just under 240 incidents, in 2024 that figure has risen to 341.
“Criminals primarily seek to steal data and information to demand a ransom or to sell it on the black market. However, it is also important to consider that paralyzing a company’s activities can have many more consequences than simply obtaining that data, both economically and in terms of the functioning of society,” details Sancho Lerena, CEO of Pandora FMS and an expert in IT management and security.
According to the company’s analysis, incidents in key sectors have varied compared to 2023. In that year, the financial and taxation sector accounted for the highest percentage of incidents at nearly 25.5%, but this year it has decreased to 23.8%, making it the second highest sector in 2024.
This time, the top sector is transportation, which was previously second with 25% of incidents in 2023; it now has the highest percentage, though reduced to 24.6%. Attacks on the ICT sector have also decreased, dropping from 18.3% to just over 14%. Similarly, the energy sector now only represents 8.8%, down from more than 22% of incidents in 2023. The water sector is the only one showing slight growth, increasing from 4.5% to 5% according to the figures analyzed by INCIBE in 2024.
Experts emphasize that these figures demonstrate the significance of cybersecurity and the implementation of robust and updated systems today. However, they also note that beyond the evolution of the numbers, it is evident that these cyberattacks are having an increasing impact. “Regardless of whether they increase or decrease, it is clear that they are becoming much more important and are quite serious,” highlights Lerena.
Furthermore, the head of Pandora FMS underlines the need for IT independence across Europe from US companies. “Cloud systems, Big Data, and AI are supplied to us by North American companies. In this geopolitical scenario, it’s necessary to have independence because interests can change at any moment,” Lerena stresses.
For the expert, in addition to cybersecurity, it is “necessary to proactively monitor critical infrastructures to detect and mitigate DDoS attacks in real-time, maintaining service continuity and reducing impact on users and clients.”