Manufacturing companies are the most likely targets of double-extortion ransomware attacks, according to a report from research team ThreatLabZ this week.
In a double-extortion attack, criminals not only encrypt data but steal it too, enabling them to blackmail victims into preventing its publication. ThreatLabZ, ZScaler's research team, noted that 12.7% of the companies affected by these attacks were in the manufacturing sector, followed by services companies. This stood out from a cluster of other sectors who each accounted for between 8 and 9% of attacks: services, transportation, retail, and technology. This report follows a previous study that found a 300% increase in cyber attacks on manufacturing organizations.
ThreatLabZ identified seven ransomware families that stood out as sources of double-extortion attacks. The most common was Maze, which accounted for 273 attacks in the last year. Even though Maze ceased operations in November 2020, it still outpaced the Conti ransomware, which took second place with 190 attacks.
The Ragnar Locker ransomware, which sets up a virtual machine on its target machine, focused the most on the manufacturing sector, with 22% of its attacks hitting those companies.
Doppelpaymer was also focused on manufacturing, targeting manufacturers in 15.1% of its incidents.
Manufacturing was also Conti's top target, attracting 12.4% of its attacks, while Sodinokibi/REvil featured manufacturing and transportation equally as its top target sectors.
ThreatLabz also examined DarkSide, which is of particular interest this week after its use in the Colonial Pipeline attack. The group, which clarified its motives for hitting the pipeline this week, focused only 2.8% of its attacks on the oil and gas sector. Services was its go-to sector, accounting for 16.7% of attacks.
Anti-ransomware company Coveware highlighted a rise in double-extortion attacks in its most recent Q1 ransomware research, which reported that 77% of attacks now featured this tactic, up 10% from Q4 2020.
-
Should AI PCs be part of your next hardware refresh?AI PCs are fast becoming a business staple and a surefire way to future-proof your business
-
Westcon-Comstor and Vectra AI launch brace of new channel initiativesNews Westcon-Comstor and Vectra AI have announced the launch of two new channel growth initiatives focused on the managed security service provider (MSSP) space and AWS Marketplace.
-
‘Phishing kits are a force multiplier': Cheap cyber crime kits can be bought on the dark web for less than $25 – and experts warn it’s lowering the barrier of entry for amateur hackersNews Research from NordVPN shows phishing kits are now widely available on the dark web and via messaging apps like Telegram, and are often selling for less than $25.
-
Healthcare systems are rife with exploits — and ransomware gangs have noticedNews Nearly nine-in-ten healthcare organizations have medical devices that are vulnerable to exploits, and ransomware groups are taking notice.
-
Alleged LockBit developer extradited to the USNews A Russian-Israeli man has been extradited to the US amid accusations of being a key LockBit ransomware developer.
-
February was the worst month on record for ransomware attacks – and one threat group had a field dayNews February 2025 was the worst month on record for the number of ransomware attacks, according to new research from Bitdefender.
-
CISA issues warning over Medusa ransomware after 300 victims from critical sectors impactedNews The Medusa ransomware as a Service operation compromised twice as many organizations at the start of 2025 compared to 2024
-
Warning issued over prolific 'Ghost' ransomware groupNews The Ghost ransomware group is known to act fast and exploit vulnerabilities in public-facing appliances
-
The Zservers takedown is another big win for law enforcementNews LockBit has been dealt another blow by law enforcement after Dutch police took 127 of its servers offline
-
There’s a new ransomware player on the scene: the ‘BlackLock’ group has become one of the most prolific operators in the cyber crime industry – and researchers warn it’s only going to get worse for potential victimsNews Security experts have warned the BlackLock group could become the most active ransomware operator in 2025
