According to recent data from security firm NCC Group , the number of ransomware attacks increased by 288% in the first half of 2021 as double extortion attempts (system encryption and data leakage) increased.
Analyzing ransomware incidents throughout 2021, the company claimed that nearly a quarter (22%) of data breaches came from the Conti.
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The Conti group usually gains access to organizations' networks through phishing emails.
The next ransomware threat of 2021 was the Avaddon, which was responsible for 17% of the incidents analyzed by NCC Group researchers. However, this ransomware is now considered inactive.
In the second quarter of 2021, about half of the attacks targeted victims from the US, while there were also several victims in France and Germany.
Christo Butcher, an executive at NCC Group, argued that no organization in any sector is safe from ransomware.
“We have seen a variety of targets, from IT companies and vendors to financial institutions and critical national infrastructure operators, with ransomware-as-a-service increasingly being sold by ransomware gangs,” he added.
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“Therefore, it is vital for organizations to take proactive measures. These should include proactively remediating security issues and operating a least-privilege model, meaning that if a user's account is compromised, the attacker will only be able to access and/or destroy a limited amount of information.“.
See also: Antivirus software: Does it protect you from the threat of ransomware?
Other security firms have also seen an increase in ransomware attacks recently. However, figures can vary and it's difficult to get an accurate picture of how threats are evolving over time.
This week, the FBI and CISA warned organizations about the increased chances of attack during holidays and weekends.
Source: Infosecurity Magazine
