Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 32 | Page 30

INFOGRAPHIC Dimension Data report reveals increase in ransomware attacks targeting supply chain C ybercriminals are turning their attention to the supply chain as a new means to exploit business data. This is according to Dimension Data’s newly published Executive Guide to the NTT Security 2018 Global Threat Intelligence Report, which has revealed there was a worrying increase in ransomware and other cyberattacks targeting the supply chain in 2017. The report highlighted how the business and professional services sector received a significant increase in the number of attacks, particularly in the EMEA region, where the sector received 20% of all attacks. The sector received 10% of global ransomware attacks, the third most targeted industry (up from sixth position in 2016), behind finance and technology. It also ranked third in the Americas (9%). As ransomware-related outsourced incident response engagements against financial institutions declined (a drop from 22% in 2016 to 5% last year), the business and professional services supply chain has clearly become a prime target for trade secrets and intellectual property theft, potentially exposing customer and business partner data. Despite the drop in outsourced incident response engagements, the finance sector remains the number one target for cybercriminals who carry out regular “ THE SECTOR RECEIVED 10% OF GLOBAL RANSOMWARE ATTACKS, THE THIRD MOST TARGETED INDUSTRY . . . BEHIND FINANCE AND TECHNOLOGY. 30 INTELLIGENTCIO www.intelligentcio.com