Number of ransomware victims reaches record high
October 19, 2023 – Published on BetaNews
A new report from GuidePoint Security’s Research and Intelligence Team (GRIT) shows a total of 3,385 publicly posted ransomware victims in the first three quarters of this year, claimed by 57 different threat groups, representing an 83 percent year-on-year increase.
Attacks directed against US-based organizations decreased, but there has been a marked increase in attacks impacting other nations. Other countries consistently affected, like the UK, saw an approximate 41 percent increase in attacks in Q3.
“Q3 of 2023 marked the largest volume of public ransomware victims that GRIT has observed since we began tracking the ransomware ecosystem for the last two plus years,” says Drew Schmitt, practice lead at GRIT. “The ransomware ecosystem as a whole is on pace to nearly double its number of publicly posted victims year over year despite a lesser increase in the number of threat actors. This suggests that many of the groups we are tracking are continuing to increase their operational tempo, but also may be the result of many organizations not being willing to pay the ransom demand.”