INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Enterprise Security
Barracuda research reveals top five industries targeted by ransomware
After identifying and analyzing 106 highly publicised ransomware attacks over the past 12 months , Barracuda researchers have found that the education ( 15 %), municipality ( 12 %), healthcare ( 12 %), infrastructure ( 8 %) and financial ( 6 %) sectors are the five most targeted by adversaries .
The analysis reveals that ransomware attacks on educational institutions more than doubled compared to the previous year , while attacks on the healthcare and financial verticals tripled and infrastructure-related attacks quadrupled .
The researchers noted a rise in the number of service providers – companies that provide IT services or other business services – impacted by ransomware during the last year . However , the public data suggests that fewer victims paid the ransom , likely due to better defenses , especially in critical infrastructure .
Barracuda ’ s own detections reveal that the volume of ransomware threats spiked at
HOWEVER , THE PUBLIC DATA SUGGESTS THAT FEWER VICTIMS PAID THE RANSOM , LIKELY DUE TO BETTER DEFENSES .
1.2 million per month between January and June 2022 .
The company points out that most ransomware attacks don ’ t make headlines as many victims choose not to disclose when they get hit and the attacks are often sophisticated and extremely hard to handle for small businesses .
“ As ransomware and other cyberthreats continue to evolve , the need for adequate security solutions has never been greater ,” said Fleming Shi , CTO at Barracuda . “ Many cybercriminals target small businesses in an attempt to gain access to larger organizations .
“ As a result , it is essential for security providers to create products that are easy to use and implement , regardless of a company ’ s size . Additionally , sophisticated security technologies should be available as services , so that businesses of all sizes can protect themselves against these ever-changing threats . By making security solutions more accessible and user-friendly , the entire industry can help to better defend against ransomware and other cyberattacks .” p
MANY CYBERCRIMINALS TARGET SMALL BUSINESSES IN AN ATTEMPT TO GAIN ACCESS TO LARGER ORGANIZATIONS .
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