Number of ransomware victims up 20 percent in first quarter of 2024
April 18, 2024 – Published on BetaNews
A new report from GuidePoint Security shows a 20 percent year-on-year increase in the number of ransomware victims, along with major shifts in the behavioral patterns of ransomware groups.
The Q1 2024 Ransomware Report, from the GuidePoint Security Research and Intelligence Team (GRIT), finds the number of active ransomware groups more than doubled, increasing 55 percent from 29 distinct groups in Q1 2023 to 45 distinct groups in Q1 2024.
The top three most active ransomware groups were LockBit, Blackbasta and Play. Even with significant law enforcement disruption in February 2024, LockBit retained its top spot among RaaS service operations at 219 victims, albeit with a lower operational tempo compared to previous quarters. LockBit claimed an average of almost three victims per day before the disruption occurred on February 20th, and had an average of about two victims per day from February 24th through the end of March.
“Overall, we’re seeing an increasingly volatile ransomware ecosystem. Law enforcement disruptions this quarter appear to have temporarily slowed or shifted operational activities of prolific Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) groups, including Alphv and LockBit,” says Drew Schmitt, practice lead, GRIT.
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