Malwarebytes ransomware7/2/2023 ![]() In all the variations of our top ten, English-speaking countries occupy at least three of the top five positions, and English-speaking countries with smaller populations and economies, like Canada and Australia, seem to suffer disproportionately. On a known attacks per capita basis, Germany sits in a cluster of four advanced European economies with nearly identical rates of attack. On that measure, again, the differences between countries are much smaller than a simple count of known attacks suggests. The size of the countries in the top ten also vary enormously, and we can try to account for that by dividing known attacks by the size of each country's population. The ten most attacked countries between April 2022 - March 2023, ordered by attacks per $1T GDP The top ten most attacked countries all suffered between 15 and 66 known attacks per $1T of economic output. ![]() On that basis, the difference between the countries in the top ten is far smaller than the total number of known attacks would suggest. We can account for the difference in the size of countries' economies by dividing the number of known ransomware attacks by a country's nominal GDP, which gives us an approximate rate of attacks per $1T of economic output. The size and nature of the US economy means that it has many more targets for ransomware gangs than other countries in the top ten. Given the disparity between the USA and the rest of the world in terms of number of attacks, it would be easy to conclude that ransomware is, first-and-foremost, a USA problem. Known attacks in the ten most attacked countries between April 2022 - March 2023 It was the most attacked country in the EU, and the most attacked country where English isn't the principle language. In the 12 months from April 2022 to March 2023, Germany was a globally significant target for ransomware, ranking as the fourth most attacked country by known attacks. On January 9, 2023, the university announced that due to extensive and complex damage caused by the attack, its entire IT infrastructure would need to be reconstructed. The attackers leaked files including backup archives, financial documents, research papers, and student spreadsheets. ![]() In November 2022, the Vice Society ransomware gang claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE). ![]() Editor-in-chief Uwe Ralf Heer reported that a well-known cybercriminal group encrypted its systems and left ransom demands, but did not specify further. The attack affected the entire Stimme Mediengruppe, including companies Pressedruck, Echo, and RegioMail, with Echo's website and e-paper accessibility also compromised. Stolen Continental data available for sale or destructionĪ ransomware attack on German newspaper Heilbronner Stimme in October 2022 disrupted its printing systems, forcing the publication of a six-page emergency edition. The company broke off negotiations in late October, and the ransomware gang offered the data for sale or destruction for $50 million, the biggest known ransom of 2022, and the largest this author had seen until LockBIt's equally outlandish request for $80 million from Royal Mail in early 2023. In the same month, German automotive parts powerhouse Continental was attacked by LockBit, which claimed to have stolen 40TB of files. In August 2022, German power semiconductor manufacturer Semikron disclosed a ransomware attack that had partially encrypted its network, with the attackers claiming to have stolen 2TB of documents. ![]()
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