High-Risk Industries: Where Cybercriminals Strike Most Often 

As companies’ operations have become increasingly reliant on digital infrastructure, threat actors have taken advantage of the expanding threat surface, exploiting new vulnerabilities. Many industries still lack the robust cyber security standards necessary to protect themselves from cyber-attacks, and even still threat actors are constantly evolving and refining their techniques and tactics to avoid detection and successfully carry out cyber-attacks. 

Certain industries face higher rates of cyber-attacks, due to more significant operational consequences from disruptions, or the sensitivity of information they handle. In particular, ransomware operations have increasingly targeted these sectors as both factors increase the likelihood that victims will pay a ransom, for fear of financial or reputational losses, making them more lucrative targets for cybercriminals. However, other cyber-attacks relating to intellectual property and data theft, and other disruptive activities have also risen.  

Some of the key sectors targeted by cyber threat actors include:  

1. Government and Public: In Canada, government and public sector agencies represent key targets for cyber threat actors. Government agencies store high value, sensitive information and have historically underinvested in cyber security or rely on outdated systems. As a result, they are strategic targets for cybercriminals seeking financial gain, as well as actors seeking access to sensitive data and intellectual property or disrupting services. Service disruptions and theft of sensitive information from government agencies pose serious national and economic security threats. 

2. Healthcare: Cyber-attacks in the healthcare industry reached an all-time high in 2024, and this trend appears to be continuing into 2025. Organizations in the healthcare sector are extremely lucrative targets for cyber threat actors because they house vast amounts of sensitive patient information, and operational disruptions are costly, with the potential to be life threatening. Patient data may be stolen by cybercriminals and sold for identity fraud use on the dark web. Because of the sensitive nature of healthcare providers, ransomware operations targeting the sector have risen significantly in the past five years. Healthcare providers are likely to pay ransoms to avoid fees, fines, and reputational damage if the public is made aware of the incident. For this reason, healthcare breaches are the most expensive cyber incidents, with 90% of cyber-attacks against the healthcare industry being financially motivated.  

3. Manufacturing: The manufacturing industry has become another prime target for cyber threat actors due to the increasing importance of Internet of Things (IoT) devices in operations, reliance on legacy systems, and the cascading impacts of disruptions. Within the manufacturing industry, supply chain dependencies and interconnectedness represent significant vulnerabilities. A disruption to one part of the supply chain can have serious downstream consequences, resulting in substantial financial loss.  

4. Financial: Similarly to the targeting of the healthcare sector, cyber-attacks against the financial industry often seek to exploit the high volumes of sensitive information financial institutions control. Attacks against the financial industry are most often financially motivated, seeking to gain access to sensitive personal information for extortion or theft. The financial industry saw a 200% increase in cyber-attacks from 2020 to 2024 and had the second highest breach costs last year. 

5. Energy and Utilities: The energy and utilities sectors and infrastructure are critical to both national and economic security, making them lucrative targets for cyber threat actors seeking to disrupt services or steal sensitive information. Much like with the manufacturing sector, supply chain vulnerabilities represent a significant threat to the energy and utilities sector. Third-party vendors and software providers are increasingly being targeted, as they have historically been easier targets with less stringent cyber security standards and controls.  

6. Retail and E-commerce: The growth in online shopping has made retailers a key target for cyber threat actors. Cybercriminals target payment systems, as well as customer data stored by retailers. Cyber-attacks pose risks of financial loss, regulatory fines, and reduced customer confidence in retailers. The most common threats facing retailers and e-commerce platforms are web application attacks, social engineering, and system intrusions.  

Cyber-attacks are carried out by threat actors to achieve a variety of ends – financial gain, data or intellectual property theft, and degrading or disrupting services.

While the motivations behind attacks may vary, the sectors outlined above represent key targets.  

Contact Kirsch Group today to book a consultation and learn how to better secure your organization’s interests. Kirsch Group offers a number of services, such as cyber threat assessments and cyber security awareness training, that can help protect your organization from cyber threats.