Lessons Learned by 2022 Cyberattacks: X-Force Threat Intelligence Report


Every year, the IBM Security X-Force team of cybersecurity experts mines billions of data points to reveal today’s most urgent security statistics and trends. This year’s X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2022 digs into attack types, infection vectors, top threat actors, malware trends and industry-specific insights. 


This year, a new industry took the infamous top spot: manufacturing. For the first time in over five years, finance and insurance were not the top-attacked industries in 2021, as manufacturing overtook them by a slight margin. Here’s a breakdown of the top five industries targeted and what businesses need to know about each one.


#1 Manufacturing


For the first time since 2016, manufacturing was the most attacked industry in 2021, targeted in 23.2% of the attacks addressed by X-Force. 


Accounting for 23% of attacks, ransomware was the top attack type, exposing the heavy focus ransomware actors place on manufacturing. Server access attacks came in second place at 12%, which might represent some failed attack operations. Business email compromise (BEC) and data theft tied for third place, at 10% each. 


BEC attacks often seek to take advantage of manufacturer relationships with suppliers, sub-suppliers and wholesale shipping. Threat actors redirect payments between partners to accounts under the BEC attackers’ control. Meanwhile, data theft efforts may focus on stealing sensitive intellectual property or holding data for ransom.


#2 Finance and Insurance


Attackers hit finance and insurance companies in 22.4% of attacks remediated by X-Force in 2021. Compared to prior years, the financial industry’s attack rate has fallen. This suggests that lessons learned cyberattacks force threat intelligence report