Survey: Czech companies faced growing number of cyberattacks last year

Czech companies faced over 1,000 cyberattacks per week last year, the Czech News Agency reported this week, citing newly released data by the security company Check Point. This is more than the global average, which stood at 900. According to the survey, the number of attacks on corporate networks rose by 50 percent in 2021.

Educational and research institutions faced the highest number of attacks in the Czech Republic last year, seeing a 75 percent year-on-year increase. The second most frequent target were government and military sectors with an increase of 47 percent.

Communications firms finished in third place, followed by internet providers and healthcare organisations with a 71 per cent year-on-year increase in the number of attacks.

Most cyberattacks were targeted at Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America. However, Europe saw the highest increase in cyber-attacks compared to the previous year, which stood at 68 percent.

"Hackers are using new methods to penetrate networks and also to avoid detection. Of particular concern is the increase in attacks on some key sectors such as education and healthcare. We expect these numbers to continue to rise in 2022, with ransomware in particular being a big bogeyman," Check Point Regional Manager Daniel Šafář told the Czech News Agency.

In addition to detecting threats, businesses should also focus on prevention and consistently secure their networks, according to experts. Regular updates and patches are also important. It is advisable to use network segmentation, Mr. Šafář added.