Fortinet, the global cybersecurity leader driving the convergence of networking and security, announced the results of the threat landscape report for the first semester of the year in Jamaica, supported by data obtained by FortiGuard Labs, Fortinet’s threat intelligence and analysis laboratory.

According to the report, Jamaica was the target of 4 million attempted cyberattacks during the first half of 2024, with February recording the highest level of activity. This means that the threat landscape continues to grow and evolve.

“We are facing a constantly evolving cyber threat landscape; cybercriminals continue to specialise, using increasingly advanced and sophisticated recognition and evasion techniques, which has increased their probability of success,” said Carlo Caloca, regional sales manager at Fortinet for English Caribbean.

“To protect themselves against these advanced cybercrime tactics, organisations should focus on enabling coordinated, actionable threat intelligence powered by real-time artificial intelligence across all security devices to detect suspicious activities and initiate coordinated mitigation across the extended attack surface,” he said.

According to the report, 44 per cent of all ransomware and wiper samples were aimed at industrial sectors and, while ransomware detections dropped by 70 per cent compared to the first half of 2023, this isn’t necessarily good news as attackers have moved from a traditional mass distribution strategy to a much more focused one, with the energy, health care, manufacturing, transportation, and logistics, and automotive industries being the most attacked.

Facing this scenario, companies should be readier than ever to protect each one of their digital assets, protecting every part of the network surface from hardware and software to Internet of Things (IoT) devices, access points, and remote devices. For this, a strategy based on improving threat intelligence capabilities is essential, taking advantage of technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence.

“Proactively monitoring and analysing cyber threats helps identify vulnerabilities before they can be exploited, which enables the timely implementation of remediation measures before any possible attempt of intrusion; as businesses aim to protect their assets and safeguard user privacy, artificial intelligence (AI) has positioned itself as a key player in cybersecurity,” said Caloca.

“If we look at the most recent data from our reports, we can highlight the importance of updating cybersecurity platforms in Jamaica and the relevance of including education and awareness programmes within companies’ business plans. Human error or carelessness continues to be the gateway for most cybersecurity breaches, especially through phishing campaigns that are easily avoidable if the collaborators are trained in these risks, in addition to the proper updating and protection of all technological infrastructure,” added Ronald Donaldson, senior major account manager at Fortinet Jamaica.