Around 500 companies work in the field of cybersecurity in Catalonia. This is a growing industry due to the increase in digital threats. In just one year the number of cyber-attacks in Catalonia has increased by more than 30% and in the world this type of incident has grown by 50%.

On 8 and 9 November 2014, Catalonia suffered one of the ten most intense cyber attacks in the world that year. The aim was to overthrow the 9N consultation. It did not succeed. Cybersecurity measures allowed the official website of the consultation, Participa2014.cat, to resist. On the other hand, several websites and services of the Generalitat, such as the electronic prescription or the registry of medical records, were down. According to what an international journalistic investigation revealed a few weeks ago, the person in charge of orchestrating the computer attack was an Israeli businessman, who has not revealed who paid for it.

It is estimated that the Generalitat suffered almost 150 million cyber-attacks that year. Despite the magnitude of the figure, it is nothing compared to the volume of cyberattacks that occur today. In 2022, 1.7 billion were detected, according to the Catalan Government. This represents an increase of 75% over the previous year and is more than ten times the number of incidents in 2014.

Catalonia, well positioned

Fortunately, the cybersecurity sector is in good health in our country. According to a report by Acció and the Catalan Cybersecurity Agency, there are 495 companies involved, with a turnover of more than 1,000 million euros and nearly 10,000 workers. The rate of growth in number of companies, turnover and workplaces compared to 2021 was in double digits.

Significantly, Catalonia was the third region in Western Europe in terms of attracting foreign investment in the field of cybersecurity, with 163 million euros, behind only Ireland and the Brussels region.

Although 85% of the companies are SMEs, more than half (54%) have a turnover of more than one million euros and 29% are exporters. The sector is highly concentrated geographically, with eight out of ten companies located in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area.

An expanding global market

Undoubtedly, the growing digital threats to which institutions, companies and individuals are exposed are spurring the expansion of the cybersecurity sector. The strong digital presence of companies, both externally and internally in the management of data and processes, makes them particularly vulnerable to cyber-attacks, which can have a considerable negative impact on the bottom line.

It is estimated that 71% of cyber-attacks worldwide in 2022 were financially motivated and cost around €7 billion. The value of the stolen cryptoassets alone exceeds €3 billion. It is therefore not surprising that between 2022 and 2027, global cybersecurity turnover is expected to grow by 13.6% per year, to almost €300 billion.

When it comes to protecting ourselves, it is important to bear in mind that e-mail has established itself as the main vector for malware distribution and is used to initiate 84% of cyber-attacks. Moreover, 74% of cybersecurity incidents affecting Catalonia last year involved the use of social engineering techniques.

If you want your business to make a giant leap, use 11Onze Business. Our business and freelancer account is now available. Find out more!