NEW DELHI : Ransomware cyber attacks against firms globally surged fourfold from a year earlier to 1.2 million per month in the first half of 2022, according to a report by security firm Barracuda Networks.
Ransomware attacks stood at 300,000 per month during January-June 2021, rising to 900,000 per month in the second half of 2021, showed the report published last week.
It also said that education, municipalities, healthcare, infrastructure and financial sectors were the dominant targets for some of the most publicized attacks, accounting for 15%, 12%, 12%, 8% and 6% of all attacks, respectively.
Researchers at Barracuda analyzed 106 “highly publicized attacks” between August 2021 and June 2022, the report said.
While municipalities saw only a slight spike in ransomware activity in the past 12 months, attacks on educational institutions “more than doubled” during the period. Healthcare and financial verticals, on the other hand, saw a tripling of such attacks.
“Many cybercriminals target small businesses to gain access to larger organizations,” said Parag Khurana, country manager, Barracuda Networks India. “As a result, it is essential for security providers to create products that are easy to use and implement, regardless of a company’s size.”
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