Ransomware Attacks in 2021 Have Increased Nearly Three-fold in the First Half of the Year

Stu Sjouwerman | Sep 3, 2021

Ransomware Attacks in 2021New data analyzed by NCC Group’s Research Intelligence and Fusion Team highlights a massive uptick in the number of ransomware attacks, further establishing it as the number one security threat.

The rise in ransomware has been a consistent theme this year. We saw a doubling of attacks in the U.K. during the first half of this year, increases in ransom demand this year as much as 5 times, and increases in cyber insurance premiums to match.

But new analysis from global cyber and software resilience vendor NCC Group puts icing on the ransomware cake, showing that ransomware is most definitely globally on the rise.

According to the data:

  • Attacks increased 288% when comparing January-March 2021 with April-June 2021
  • Conti was the leading ransomware, carrying 22% of all attacks analyzed, followed by Avaddon
  • The U.S. represents the largest share of victims, at 49%

This new data only confirms what we’ve all already suspected; ransomware is a present and growing concern. If you’re not already enrolling your users in continual Security Awareness Training to help minimize the threat surface at the Inbox, you’re leaving the organization with a point of exposure that will only increase in risk as ransomware attacks continue to grow.

Topics: Ransomware

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