According to a recent CrowdStrike report, hands-on intrusions—where attackers engage directly within a victim’s environment—rose by 55% over the past year. The report highlights that nearly 90% of these interactive intrusions were linked to cybercriminal activities up to June 30. The healthcare sector experienced a 75% increase in such attacks, while the technology sector saw a 60% rise.
For the seventh year running, the technology industry, encompassing software, hardware, and IT services, remained the top target for cyberattacks. This is largely due to the extensive reach of technology vendors’ services across various sectors, making them lucrative targets for cybercriminals. Attacks on technology firms often have a ripple effect, impacting their clients and amplifying the overall damage.
In April, attackers exploited vulnerabilities to breach over 100 Snowflake customers, leading to significant data theft and extortion, as reported by Mandiant. Despite ongoing efforts by cybersecurity experts and law enforcement to combat these threats, ransomware groups continue to see substantial financial gains.
Chainalysis reported that ransomware payments reached $460 million in the first half of 2024, reflecting a 2% increase from the previous year and positioning 2024 to potentially be the most profitable year yet for ransomware. The report also noted a record-breaking ransom payment of $75 million this year.
In a briefing last November, a senior Biden administration official disclosed that U.S. ransomware victims had paid $1.5 billion in ransoms between May 2022 and June 2023. Chainalysis documented $1.1 billion in ransom payments for 2023. The rise in ransom payments is attributed to attacks on large corporations with highly destructive ransomware variants. The median ransom for these variants surged from below $200,000 in early 2023 to $1.5 million by mid-June, according to Chainalysis.
