Ransomware, Malware

Examining declining government ransomware attack prevalence

Even though a Ransomware Task Force report showed that documented ransomware attacks against local governments, hospitals, and schools during the first six months of 2022 only totaled 64, compared with nearly 150 attacks during the same period last year, questions remain regarding the cause of reduced ransomware prevalence, StateScoop reports. "There may be fewer attacks. I have trouble believing that because every [incident response] person I know is still booked fully, mostly with ransomware," said Recorded Future intelligence analyst Allan Liska, from whom the RTF obtained the data. Fewer ransomware attacks against the public sector have also been observed by Emsisoft, with analyst Brett Callow noting that only 30 local governments and 35 educational entities have been impacted by ransomware through the end of June, compared with 53 local governments and 59 educational organizations during the first half of last year. Liska noted that leak sites, which have been a basis for counting ransomware victims, have become less reliable sources as threat actors have been transitioning to other extortion techniques. Such conditions should prompt the implementation of new reporting requirements, added Liska.

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