Ransomware operators are leaking data more frequently than ever before, a new report suggests.
US cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike recently published its 2022 Global Threat Report, which states that ransomware-related data leaks surged 82 percent in 2021, compared to the year before.
According to Adam Meyers, SVP of Intelligence at CrowdStrike, data leaks are all about taking control away from the victim.
“You’re taking the narrative away from the victim. You’re taking the control away from the victim,” Meyers told VentureBeat.
“And that is really powerful for a threat actor. Because typically in years past, if an organization was breached, it was up to them to determine when they notify their customers, when they notify their shareholders, their employees. And it’s been up to them what they want to detail.”
But it’s not just ransomware-related data theft that’s surging; ransomware attacks are becoming more common, in general.
A separate report from SonicWall said that, for the first three quarters of 2021, attempted ransomware attacks grew 148 percent, year-on-year. At the same time, the average ransom demand grew 36 percent, to $6.1 million.
Meyers says organizations need more than antivirus or anti-malware protection. to stay safe, they need to embrace zero-trust network access and strong identity authentication.
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