Ransomware attacks up by 41 percent globally
New data from Check Point Research reveals a sharp rise in cyberattacks globally, with business services, healthcare, and manufacturing among the hardest hit sectors.
Ransomware incidents in particular have surged, with 487 attacks reported in July, a 41 percent increase year-on-year. North America accounted for 56 percent of all reported ransomware cases, followed by Europe at 24 percent.
“July’s data shows ransomware is not only here to stay, but is evolving rapidly, with groups like Qilin expanding their reach into high-value targets,” says Lotem Finkelstein, director, threat intelligence and research at Check Point Software Technologies. “These attacks are hitting every corner of the globe and every type of organization. Prevention-first strategies, powered by AI, are the only way to stay ahead.”
In July, organizations faced an average of 1,947 cyberattacks per week, up five percent year-on-year. The education sector was the most targeted globally, averaging 4,210 weekly attacks per organization (+24 percent YoY), followed by government (2,577) and healthcare (2,538). The agriculture sector experienced the steepest rise, with a 115 percent YoY increase.
Regionally Africa recorded the highest average number of attacks per organisation (3,374 per week), followed by APAC (2,809) and Latin America (2,783). North America saw the largest percentage increase in attacks at nine percent year-on-year.
The three most prominent ransomware groups are Qilin, Akira, and Play, each using different techniques but sharing the same goal, maximum impact, and financial gain. Ransomware-as-a-service platform Qilin was responsible for 17 percent of known ransomware incidents in July.
Akira, targeting both Windows and Linux systems using symmetric encryption, accounted for nine percent of attacks in the same month, while Play made up six percent of incidents.
You can read more on the Check Point blog.
Image credit: arrow123/depositphotos.com