Two reports slap hard figures on what’s already crystal clear: Ransomware attacks have skyrocketed, and ransomware payments are the comet trails that have followed them skyward.
The average ransomware payment spiked 82 percent year over year: It’s now over half a million dollars, according to the first-half 2021 update report put out by Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42. As far as the sheer multitude of attacks goes, Barracuda researchers on Thursday reported that they’ve identified and analyzed 121 ransomware incidents so far in 2021, a 64 percent increase in attacks, year-over-year.
Obviously, these are just the major incidents. It is unclear from these reports if the threat to small sites or individual consumers’ computers has continued at the same rate as previously now that there are so many attacks occurring against “big payout” targets.
It’s important to continue to be vigilant on all levels: keep backups (both on site and off site), be careful about what you click on, watch for phishing and consent phishing, use 2-factor authentication where offered, etc.
Full article at https://threatpost.com/ransomware-payments-quadruple-extortion/168622/
Update: Comedian John Oliver (Last Week Tonight) did a piece on Ransomware on Aug 16. (NSFW, but quite well researched.)