Ransomware attacks now impact one in 40 organisations every week, the latest data from Check Point Research (CPR) has found.
Incidents have risen 59% year-on-year from one in 64 organisations being affected in Q2 2021, due to a combination of higher geopolitical tensions, an increase in remote working, as well as a willingness of organisations to pay the cost of the ransom, CPR said.
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Across the wider landscape, the second quarter of 2022 saw cyber-attacks hit an all-time high, increasing by 32% when compared to Q2 2021.
“Ransomware attacks are showing no signs of slowing down,” commented Omer Dembinsky, Data Group Manager at Check Point Software.
“Hackers are leveraging the increase in attack surface from remote work and learning, and the war between Ukraine and Russia also helps drive the proliferating trend, as geopolitical tensions rising inspires hackers to take sides.”
Distributors targeted
In terms of industry, the data paints a concerning picture for VARs, systems integrators, and distributors. During Q2, the sector saw a 143% increase in ransomware attacks when compared with the same period of last year – equating to one in 47 organisations affected per week.
That hike was only topped by the Retail and Wholesale sector’s jump of 182%, while Government and Military saw the third highest increase at 135%.
The Education and Research sector was found to be the most attacked industry worldwide, taking an average of 2,300 attacks per organisation every week (up 53%). Government and Military came in second, with 1,620 attacks (+44%), followed by ISPs and MSPs which racked up 1,397 (+29%).
Elsewhere, the healthcare sector saw a huge 60% hike to 1,342 attacks per organisation every week, CPR found.
“The willingness of organisations to meet ransomware demands to protect patients has proved the business of ransomware to be highly lucrative. Hence, we see that hackers are continuing to invest resources in going after healthcare organisations,” Dembinsky continued.
By region, Africa was the most attacked during Q2, peaking at 1,758 weekly attacks per organisations (up 3%), followed by Asia’s 1,684 (+25%), and Latin America’s 1,602 (+29%).
Prevention
Check Point reiterated that ransomware attacks are often the result of poor employee training and bad habits. The firm underlined preventative measures such as regularly backing up data, having a proactive strategy, employing content scanning and filtering, as well as keeping systems up to date.
“We strongly recommend organisations everywhere to take note of our ransomware prevention tips, such as backing up data, keeping systems up to date, and training employees on awareness,” Dembinsky added.
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