Despite hopes for decline, ransomware attacks increased during Russia-Ukraine conflict

April 5, 2022 – Published on SC Media

There are a bevy of reasons that ransomware attacks should have declined during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Squabbles between Ukrainian affiliates and Russian Ransomware designers. Destruction of Ukrainian infrastructure. Enlistments. Fear of boiling the emerging cold war.

But measured by postings to leak sites, ransomware did not decline year-over-year during the war — in fact, it flourished. New data from GuidePoint Security show similar peaks and valleys day-by-day from 2021 to 2022, with 2022 seeing considerably more action overall.

“What we have concluded from the data is that there really hasn’t been a slowdown and the amount of ransomware activity from a public leak site posting perspective during the time leading up to, or even after, the conflict started,” said Drew Schmitt, ransomware negotiator and principal threat intelligence analyst with GuidePoint.

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