With November demonstrating multiple increases when compared to various previous time periods, new data signals that we may be in for a bumpy ride in 2024.
It’s nice when we get to see reports that are published relatively quickly to let us get a sense of where cyberattacks are today versus, say, a quarter or two ago (or even last year!). The NCCGroup’s Cyber Threat Intelligence Report was just published and covers ransomware attacks through November of this year.
What makes this particular report so alarming is the fact that the attacks observed in November (which historically is an uptick month where the number of attacks rises) has established material rises in the number of attacks from a few comparative perspectives:
- The number of attacks from January through November of this year is approximately 85% greater than the same timeframe last year
- The number of attacks in November alone is 67% more than November of last year
- November 2022 experienced 30% more ransomware attacks than October 2022
The major players observed by NCCGroup were Lockbit 3.0, BlackCat, and Play. The largest verticals targeted were Industrial, Consumer Cyclicals, Healthcare, and Technology. Lastly, the dominant region was North America with 50% of the attacks, followed by Europe with 30% of the attacks.
With affiliates of these groups using phishing as one of the initial attack vectors, it’s imperative to make sure you start off 2024 with a layered defense that includes email and web protection, endpoint detection and response, and new school security awareness training.
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