Global ransomware attacks are at an all-time high and the US is the main target

Global ransomware attacks are on the rise, according to a report by Malwarebytes. The study shows a massive increase from July 2022 to June 2023, with the United States bearing the brunt of these attacks. The organization noted that of the 1,900 ransomware attacks reported and collected, more than 43% originated from the United States, a 75% increase from last year's findings.

Germany, France, and the United Kingdom have also seen an increase in the number of ransomware deployed, but at a lower rate than the United States. The report details 48 separate ransomware groups that attacked US businesses, government organizations, and garden variety consumers during the aforementioned time period. Even worse? Health and educational institutions have been disproportionately affected. For example, dental insurer Managed Care of North America (MCNA) suffered a breach in March and the New York City Department of Education was hit in June.

It should be noted that Malwarebytes' research only shows reported incidents, so the actual number of attacks could be well over 1,900. The point of a ransomware attack is, eh well, to demand a ransom, so some organizations make the payment and keep things quiet.

What exactly is a ransomware attack? It is malicious software expressly designed to prevent users and organizations from accessing files on a computer. The software locks everything down and when you pay the ransom, you receive a decryption key to regain access to the files. It's a digital shakedown.

The world's biggest offender is a ransomware gang called Clop, which has long been suspected of having ties to Russia. The criminal organization has evolved over the past year, capitalizing on zero-day software vulnerabilities to amplify the reach of its attacks. Last June, the group took advantage of one of these vulnerabilities in enterprise file transfer software to hack into the servers of hundreds of companies, including the largest US pension fund.

Malwarebytes says this shift to zero-day software exploits, instead of phishing emails and virus-laden downloads, could "signal a change in the game" and explain the increase in reported incidents.< /p>

As with the rest of the world, France's numbers have doubled over the past year, with a disproportionate number of attacks perpetrated against government institutions. The UK has seen 200 attacks from 32 separate groups with an alarming increase in frequency. Last year, the country reported just one ransomware attack per month. In the past year, it's been eight a month.

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