Julio says goodbye, leaving Spain and the world on high digital alert: The last week has been characterized by massive attacks, breaches in large companies, and a steady rise in ransomware and social engineering. If you want to be up to date on cybersecurity or anticipate future risks, this summary is for you: objective data, strategic keywords and actionable advice, all optimized for your information search and your business strategy.
Spain, an epicenter in the global wave of cyberattacks
Top news in Spain
- Attack on Catalan public health: On July 29, the Catalan Health Service (CatSalut) confirmed a breach in the databases of medical records. The possible leak of private data and medical protocols for more than 85,000 patients is being investigated.
- Wave of phishing in banking and retail: BBVA, CaixaBank and large chains such as El Corte Inglés reported a new automated impersonation campaign between July 26 and 30, resulting in the theft of user credentials and fraudulent access to accounts.
- Cyberattacks on city councils: Malaga and Zaragoza reported on July 28 about DDoS attacks that paralyzed citizen processing portals and internal systems for several hours, reestablishing themselves after the action of emergency teams.
- SMEs on alert: Self-employed organizations (ATA and UPTA) warn, in their July 30 bulletin, that Spanish SMEs have experienced a 22% increase in incidents compared to the previous week - especially through malware and banking trojans aimed at business accounts.
Most affected sectors and patterns
- Health, Local Government, Retail Banking and E-Commerce have suffered the greatest impact this week due to the sophistication of data access and theft techniques.
- Ransomware is still latent, although silent theft of information is increasing for subsequent frauds (financial fraud, identity theft and extortion).
- Generative AI: Customized phishing campaigns have been detected using artificial intelligence, with “almost perfect” messages and websites.
International Overview: Threats and Lessons
- Global ransomware: The United States, Germany and the United Kingdom have reported in their CERT a wave of new ransomware attacks by the Akira group affecting technology and transport companies, with data leaking from employees and partners.
- Singapore data breach: On July 27, the vulnerability in the value chain of the Tan Tock Seng hospital was disclosed, with sensitive patient data being stolen. The incident has highlighted the challenges of the health sector in the face of international digital threats.
- Geopolitical attacks: EU countries have received new denial of service attacks on critical infrastructure portals, mainly attributed to state and hacktivist actors aimed at causing institutional instability in the pre-election period.
- Trend of the week: Increase in “double extortion attacks”, where in addition to encrypting data, cybercriminals threaten to publish it on the darknet if they don't receive payment.
Key tips and trends for companies and users
Immediate risk protection list for the week:
- Reinforces authentication in critical services (implements two-factor).
- Review and update policies for access to sensitive information.
- Don't ignore signs: report and report impersonation attempts, even if they seem minor.
- Train your team in phishing detection with current examples.
- Perform rapid backup and recovery audits after attacks.
- Focus on specific anti-ransomware training and the review of third-party and vendor protocols.
Internal and external link strategy
- Add internal links to content on your blog about ransomware prevention, How to act in the face of a phishing attack and quick guide for SMEs.
- Link to resources and alerts from INCIBE, CCN-CERT, official regional portals and international organizations such as ENISA and NIST for reliable additional information.
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The best defense is prevention and anticipation. If you are concerned about the digital security of your company or want to know your real level of exposure to the latest cyberattacks, Don't leave it until tomorrow.
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