Ransomware groups claimed responsibility for 5,461 attacks in 2024, with 1,204 of these attacks being publicly confirmed by victim organizations, according to Comparitech’s latest Ransomware Roundup report.
The average ransom demand was more than $3.5 million, and the average ransom paid was $9.5 million. Many of these attacks involved data theft extortion, leading to the breach of nearly 200 million records.
“Across the 1,204 confirmed attacks, 195.4 million records were breached (and counting),” Comparitech says. “These figures for 2024 are lower than those recorded in 2023 (1,474 attacks affecting 261.5 million records), but with many reports coming through months (and, in some cases, years) after the attack, we do expect 2024 figures to rise in the coming months.”
The major ransomware attacks last year were tied to several known threat actors, some of which operate under an affiliate model. These hacking groups function as organized criminal gangs to maximize ransom payouts.
“The most prolific ransomware gangs in 2024 (based on confirmed attacks) were RansomHub (89 confirmed attacks), LockBit (83), Medusa (62), and Play (57),” the researchers write. “However, the gang responsible for the most breached records is ALPHV/BlackCat (119.6M in total), and Dark Angels received the biggest payout ($75M).”
Ransomware is an extremely profitable criminal industry, and Comparitech expects to see these attacks continue through the foreseeable future.
“Based on 2024, it’s highly likely we’ll continue to see large-scale attacks that either cause widespread disruption to companies and/or see troves of data being stolen,” the researchers write. “What’s more, Clop’s recent Cleo exploit looks set to see a number of companies issuing breaches in the coming months (the gang threatened to release around 66 companies toward the end of 2024).”
Most ransomware attacks involve phishing or some other form of social engineering as an initial access vector. New-school security awareness training can give your organization an essential layer of defense by enabling your employees to thwart social engineering attacks.
KnowBe4 empowers your workforce to make smarter security decisions every day. Over 70,000 organizations worldwide trust the KnowBe4 platform to strengthen their security culture and reduce human risk.
Comparitech has the story.
With KnowBe4 Defend you can:
