Technology, energy, government sectors most targeted by cyberattacks

Over the past year, cyberattacks against Azerbaijan have mostly targeted the technology, energy and government sectors.

Suheyl Hamavioğlu, Mastercard's Director of Cybersecurity Product Management for Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said this at an event titled "The Future of Financial Cybersecurity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence" held in Baku, Report informs.

According to him, the study covered the period from July 2025 to June 2026.

"A year ago, we would most likely have seen the financial sector in first or second place. However, the current picture is different. The rise of the technology, energy and government sectors clearly shows the impact of global geopolitical and economic processes on the cybersecurity environment. During the reporting period, the most attacked assets were business systems of companies operating in various industries in Azerbaijan, at 52%. These include core environments, banking and mobile applications, as well as other critical business applications.

After business systems, the second most targeted category was physical assets, at 20%. This shows that both the digital and physical infrastructure of organizations are at particular risk in terms of cybersecurity. Those attacked also included customers' personal data, at 14%, customer services, at 8%, and intellectual property, at 6%. Azerbaijan's national artificial intelligence initiatives, expanding network connectivity and continuous digital transformation supported by digital platforms are increasing the attack surface for critical sectors. This makes cybersecurity resilience and preparedness an increasingly important national priority," he said.

Hamavioğlu added that 54% of attacks targeted Azerbaijan's government and technology sectors.

"The most attacked sector was technology, at 26%, including software, technological equipment, storage and peripheral devices, electronic equipment, devices and components. It was followed by energy, including oil and gas and the power sector, at 23%; government, including public administration and non-profit organizations, at 21%; finance at 18%; and media at 12%," the Mastercard official added.

He also said that 36% of cyberattacks against Azerbaijan over the past year were carried out by Asia-based cyber warriors from four countries.

"They were mainly surveillance software vendors. In addition, 29% of cyberattacks against Azerbaijan were carried out by groups supported by major states in the region, 18% by organized criminals, 14% by black-hat hackers and 3% by unskilled or amateur actors," he said.