The year of Mega Ransomware attacks with unprecedented impact on global organizations

A Staggering 1 in every 10 organizations worldwide hit by attempted Ransomware attacks in 2023, surging 33% from previous year, when 1 in every 13 organisations received ransomware attacks Throughout 2023, organizations around the world have each experienced over 60,000 attacks on average, 1158 attacks per organization per week Retail/Wholesale sectors witnessed a notable 22% spike in attacks weekly, compared to 2022 Global Trends in Cyberattacks.
The digital realm continues to be a battleground for cyber security, with 2023 marking another year of relentless cyber attacks globally.
Organizations across the globe experienced an average of 1158 weekly cyber attacks each.
While ransomware continued to pose a serious risk, especially to smaller and less fortified businesses, a notable shift occurred with some attackers concentrating on data theft and purely extortion-based campaigns.
These attacks did not use traditional encryption-based ransomware; rather, they revolved around extortion, with attackers demanding payment in return for not publicly releasing the stolen data.
The Education/Research sector, previously a prime target, experienced a notable 12% decrease in attacks, although has still remained on top of the list with the highest volume of cyber attacks.
The Retail/Wholesale sectors experiencing a significant number of cyber attacks in 2023 might be due to several key factors: Large Volume of Consumer Data: Retail and wholesale businesses typically handle vast amounts of personal and financial data from customers.
Insufficient Cybersecurity Measures: Smaller retailers and wholesalers might not have the resources for robust cybersecurity defenses compared to larger corporations, making them easier targets for cyber attacks.
Seasonal Spikes in Activity: Retail/Wholesale sectors often experience seasonal spikes in activity, such as during holiday or shopping seasons, where the increased volume of transactions and busy staff may lead to lowered vigilance and increased susceptibility to attacks like phishing or ransomware.
Regionally, APAC led with the highest average number of weekly attacks, with an average of 1930 attacks per organization, a 3% increase compared to last year , while Africa witnessed a substantial 12% YoY increase in the average number of weekly attacks per organization, reaching an average of 1900 attacks.
The overarching narrative of 2023 became synonymous with the relentless onslaught of mega ransomware attacks, as hackers continued to exploit vulnerabilities, leaving a trail of organizations grappling with the aftermath of these malicious attacks.
Another notable shift was observed in the execution strategies of these ransomware attacks.
Throughout 2023, 10% of organizations worldwide have been targeted by an attempted ransomware attack.
Ransomware Attacks per Region: Americas witness highest spike YoY. The impact of ransomware on organizations was seen across the main regions of the world, with APAC having the highest ratio with 11% of organizations targeted by ransomware in 2023, while the Americas showed the largest increase - climbing from 5% of organizations in 2022 to 9% in the past year.
The top impacted industries by ransomware attacks in 2023 were Education/Research with 22% of organizations suffering this type of attack, followed by Government/Military with 16% and Healthcare with 12%. HOW DEFENDERS ARE LEVERAGING AI TO PREVENT THE NEXT ATTACK. In the rapidly evolving landscape of cybersecurity, artificial intelligence has emerged as a powerful tool for defending against sophisticated and ever evolving cyberattacks.
It has had a profound effect on both the efficacy of ransomware and other attacks methods, and the ability to defend against these advanced campaigns.
Check Point's ThreatCloud AI powers all of our solutions using AI technologies with big data threat intelligence to prevent the most advanced attacks while reducing false positives.
A robust, secure data backup solution is an effective way to mitigate the impact of a ransomware attack.
Keeping computers up-to-date and applying security patches, especially those labelled as critical, can help to limit an organization's vulnerability to ransomware attacks as such patches are usually overlooked or delayed too long to offer the required protection.
Most ransomware attacks can be detected and resolved before it is too late.


This Cyber News was published on blog.checkpoint.com. Publication date: Tue, 16 Jan 2024 14:43:11 +0000


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