US and UK are the countries most attacked by ransomware

In the 12 months from April 2022 to March 2023 the US and UK were the countries that suffered the most ransomware attacks.

However, the latest Malwarebytes ransomware report shows that the USA suffered a little over seven times more attacks in the last twelve months than the UK. It's perhaps not a coincidence that the USA's economic output, measured by gross domestic product (GDP), is also about seven times larger than the UK's.

Indeed if you look at the number of attacks per $1 trillion of GDP both countries are almost identical at around 50 attacks per $1T. Measured on this basis Canada tops the list at 66 attacks per $1T followed by Spain on 55.

If you look at attacks per capita the USA tops the list, followed by Canada, Australia and the UK. All English-speaking nations, which suggests ransomware in other languages offers less reward.

The UK has seen the education sector become a particular target in the last year. Education was the target in 16 percent of known attacks in the UK, but only four percent in France and Germany, and seven percent in the USA. One of the main reasons for this is Vice Society, a dangerous ransomware group with a particular appetite for the education sector.

"Within the UK, the education sector was disproportionately affected," concludes the Malwarebytes Threat Intelligence Team. "It suffered far more known attacks than education in France or Germany, and accounted for a much higher proportion of known attacks than education did in the USA. The vulnerability of the education sector was exposed by Vice Society, a ruthless ransomware gang with an outsized appetite for education targets. In the last 12 months, Vice Society was as active in the UK as it was in the USA. While LockBit remains the most dangerous ransomware in the world for almost all sectors in almost all countries, in the cash-strapped UK education sector Vice Society is the most dangerous predator."

You can read more on the Malwarebytes blog.

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