A new report from SonicWall found that attempted ransomware attacks skyrocketed in the first half of 2021, with 304.7 million attempted attacks seen by the company.
SonicWall researchers saw a record number of attempted attacks in both April and May but both months were beaten by June, which had a record 78.4 million attempted ransomware attacks.
In a year driven by anxiety and uncertainty, cybercriminals have continued to accelerate attacks against innocent people and vulnerable institutions,” Bill Conner, President and CEO, Sonic Wall, said in a statement.
“This latest data shows that sophisticated threat actors are tirelessly adapting their tactics and embracing ransomware to reap financial gain and sow discord,” Conner added.
Accounting for 64 percent of all recorded ransomware attacks, Ryuk, Cerber and SamSam were the top three ransomware families in the first half of the year, as recorded by SonicWall Capture Labs, the report said.
The top five regions most impacted by ransomware in the first half of 2021 were the US, the UK, Germany, South Africa, and Brazil.
“With remote working still widespread, businesses continue to be highly exposed to risk, and criminals are acutely aware of uncertainty across the cyber landscape,” Conner said.
“It’s crucial that organizations move toward a modern Boundless Cybersecurity approach to protect against both known and unknown threats, particularly when everyone is more remote, more mobile, and less secure than ever,” he added.
In line with spikes in global data, the researchers also recorded alarming ransomware spikes across key verticals, including government (917 percent), education (615 percent), healthcare (594 percent), and retail (264 percent) organizations.
