2024 marked a New peak for global cybercrime, with 3.541 cyber attacks recordedin del% increase 27,4 compared to the previous year. And theItaly confirmed as one of the main targets, suffering 10% of global attacks directed against national companies and organizations. This is what emerges from the Clusit annual report, the Italian Association for Information Security, previewed to the press (the full version will be published in mid-March).
La monthly average of attacks rose to 295, surpassing the 232 of 2023 and nearly doubling the 139 of 2019. The severity of incidents is also increasing: 79% had a critical or high impact, signaling an increasingly hostile cyberspace.
The most affected sectors in Italy
In Italy, i The most targeted sectors were news and multimedia, which suffered 18% of the total attacks. A emblematic case saw the theft of data of 5 million people in a single attack. Even the manufacturing sector has been particularly exposed: a quarter of the world's attacks against manufacturing have targeted Italian companies. The same goes for transport and logistics, with 25% of global attacks concentrated in our country.
Il financial and insurance sector recorded a slight decline, representing 2% of total attacks with a decrease of 7% compared to 2023. The Health, however, continues to be a sensitive target, with fewer attacks than the previous year but with increasingly significant damage.
In Italy, the percentage of accidents classified as high impact was higher than the global average (53% versus 50%), while the critical severity incidents were 9%, compared to 29% of the global. Much more frequent, however, were the medium severity accidents (38% vs. 22% globally). The phenomenon of hacktivism is growing globally and in our country, as is that of information warfare.
From 2020 to 2024, Clusit researchers have detected in Italy 973 known accidents of particular severity; 357 – almost 39% of the total – occurred in the last year alone. Although the data shows a slight further increase compared to the previous year, the trend seems to be stabilizing compared to previous years.
In the 2024, the Malware has once again become the main cause of cyber incidents in Italy, with 38% of attacks. DDoS attacks stand at 21%, down from 36% in 2023. They are followed by exploited vulnerabilities (19%) and phishing/social engineering (11%).
Cyber Attacks: Cybercrime Dominates
Il Cybercrime is confirmed as the main cyber threat globally, with 90% of attacks in 2024 aimed at financial extortion. The Phishing andSOCIAL ENGINEERING increased by 33%, while the exploitation of vulnerabilities, including those zero-day, accounted for 15% of accidents.
According to Clusit, the attacks have not only grown in number, but also in severity: 79% had significant impacts, compared to 80% in 2023 and 50% in 2020. TheEurope recorded a 67% increase of major incidents, while North America and the Old Continent concentrated 65% of the total attacks.
I ransomware, although decreasing in percentage, recorded an absolute increase of 11%, with 114 more cases than the previous year. Also DDoS attacks have increased 36% globally. Identity theft and account takeovers have spiked 135%.
The hacktivism recorded a 16% increase and information warfare doubled its incidence compared to 2023. Italy was particularly exposed to geopolitical attacks, suffering 29% of episodes of this type (about 80 attacks) worldwide.
In a quarter of the cases, the The attack technique was not disclosed., up 56% from the previous year. Transparency on threats has improved, both due to greater communication from victims and the tendency of cybercriminals to claim attacks with increasingly precise details.
Cyber attacks are becoming more sophisticated
In 2024, cyber criminals have refined their techniques leveraging Artificial Intelligence to make attacks more targeted and effective. The Phishing andSOCIAL ENGINEERING have increased by 35% in Italy, confirming the vulnerability of users. The vulnerability-based attacks, including zero-days, accounted for 15% of total incidents.
“The global picture outlined by the Clusit 2025 Report is worrying: on the one hand, the protection levels of organizations seem insufficient; on the other, attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated,” he stated. Anna Vaccarelli, President of Clusit.
Challenges for the future
The Clusit 2025 Report launches a alarm bell: the Italian companies and institutions continue to show vulnerability, while attacks become increasingly advanced. “The News and Multimedia sector reached a negative record in 2024, with a single attack that compromised the data of 5 million people,” commented Luca Bechelli, of the Clusit Steering Committee. The 2025 looks set to be just as complex: more effective defense strategies and greater awareness on the part of companies and citizens are needed. Cybersecurity is no longer an option, but a necessity to protect the digital future of our country.
The Clusit 2025 Report will be officially presented in the opening session of the Security Summit Milano 2025 on March 11.
