Ransomware attacks decline from December, LockBit 3.0 dominates

Ransomware attacks were reported by NCC Group to have reached 165 last month, which was a 38% decrease from December but still the highest recorded number of attacks for January in the last three years, according to SiliconAngle. Despite the decline from December, the higher-than-normal figures in January indicate the growing prevalence of ransomware attacks, said NCC Group Global Head of Threat Intelligence Matt Hull. Most ransomware attacks last month were conducted by the LockBit 3.0 ransomware operation, which mainly targeted the industrial sector, followed by Vice Society and BlackCat, which primarily attacked academic and educational entities and industrial organizations, respectively. Forty-one percent of ransomware attacks last month were aimed at North America, making it the most targeted continent, followed by Europe and Asia, while the industrial sector was subjected to most attacks, followed by consumer cyclicals and academic and education segments. Meanwhile, the AcridRain ransomware operation, which emerged in October, was noted by researchers to be a threat to look out for with its new infostealer.