The European Union: Identified Increased Ransomware Risk for Transportation Systems

A new analysis published by the European Union reveals that ransomware attacks have emerged as the primary cyber threat against the transportation sector. This finding was discovered from the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) first-ever analysis of the dangers facing verticals in aviation, maritime, railway, and road sectors in a 50-page report. By the number of incidents, a 25% increase was observed in the transport sector from 2022 as compared to 2021. And by sector the most targeted include in order aviation, maritime, and railway. The ENISA assesses a shift in technology targets as most ransomware attacks have focused on information technology (IT) systems like databases but could move to operational technology (OT) systems. Operational technology (OT) systems are crucial for ensuring the safety of various aspects of the transportation sector, including airports, ports, and rail traffic, as they typically oversee or control mechanical processes. Transportation organizations may feel pressure due to their critical infrastructure role and the management of complex systems to pay ransomware demands “to avoid any critical business and social impact.”