Security News > 2023 > August > Data exfiltration is now the go-to cyber extortion strategy

The report also found that ransomware groups increasingly target the exfiltration of files, the unauthorized extraction or transfer of sensitive information, which has become the primary source of extortion.

As these adversaries shift tactics, LockBit has dominated the ransomware landscape, from Q4 2021 to Q2 2023, with 39% of total victims - more than quadruple the number of victims of the second-highest ranked ransomware group.

Further analysis shows that the CL0P ransomware group is aggressively developing zero-day vulnerabilities, growing its victims by 9x year over year.

The healthcare vertical saw a 39% increase in victims during the same period, and was targeted primarily by the ALPHV and LockBit ransomware groups.

Victims of multiple ransomware attacks were more than 6x more likely to experience the second attack within three months of the first attack.

Financial services organizations saw an increase of 50% in the total number of impacted organizations year over year while the retail vertical ranks third in the number of ransomware victims per industry and saw a 9% increase.

News URL

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/08/09/ransomware-groups-extortion-source/