Cyber-attacks against critical infrastructure was up 30% globally, with over 420 million attacks across the sector between January 2023 and January 2024. This is the equivalent of 13 attacks per second.

This is according to a new security report from KnowBe4, which revealed that attacks against critical infrastructure have skyrocketed across the globe, increasing risks to economic stability and national security.

Energy, telecommunications, and transportation sectors have all been targeted under this new surge, with threat actors seeking control of these systems for either disastrous disruption or espionage.

The increasing interconnection of infrastructure sectors to digital technologies have only increased their vulnerabilities to cyber-attacks.

In particular, the report noted a rise in attacks on the energy sector: the average number of cyber-attacks against utilities each week more than doubled between 2020 and 2022, and doubled again in 2023, based on a worldwide report from International Energy Agency.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has only increased the cyber-attacks levied against Europe’s power grip, which is facing a deluge, according to the report.

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The report also showed that, while the US has faced the most attacks, this is followed by the UK, Germany, India, and Japan.

Threat actors are mostly from China, Russia and Iran, the report noted.

“The findings in our report are a wake-up call for critical infrastructure sectors,” says Stu Sjouwerman, CEO at KnowBe4.

“While the surge in cyberattacks on them is deeply concerning, it’s important to remember that we’re not powerless in this fight. By fostering a strong security culture that combines technology, processes, and people, we can significantly mitigate these risks. Every organization, regardless of size or sector, has a role to play in safeguarding our collective infrastructure. It’s time we view cybersecurity not as just an IT issue, but as a fundamental aspect of our operational resilience and national security.”