RANSOMWARE attacks increased by 105 percent globally in 2021
The world also saw an alarming 105% surge in ransomware cyberattacks last year according to the 2022 Cyber Threat Report released by SonicWall, an internet cybersecurity company.
The attacks, according to the report, were designed to cripple people or businesses by making their computer systems unusable until they pay money or “ransom.”
Governments worldwide saw a scary 1,885% increase in ransomware attacks, and the health care industry alone faced a 755% increase in those attacks in 2021,
Ransomware also rose 104% in North America, just under the 105% average increase worldwide, according to the report.
It’s still unclear why there was such a dramatic leap. The increase in ransomware was linked to the rise in remote work and company employees working outside their office networks.
Meanwhile, it is suspected that some individual companies that pay ransomware demands could also be perpetuating that behavior.
“Ransomware operators are profit driven,” Dmitriy Ayrapetov, the VP of platform architecture at SonicWall, was quoted as saying. “As long as there is a profit they will continue to bring in new players, actors, etc. And of course, on the other side, a lack of security or a lack of preparation allows for this to continue.”
High-profile attacks
Last year, ransomware attacks hit supply chains, causing widespread system downtime, economic loss, and reputational damage, according to the report.
One simple solution to prevent ransomware attacks is to diligently “patch” and keep your software up-to-date. Patching is when you update your computer software regularly.
“Everything that everybody uses today in the digital economy and digital society is software. All software has ongoing updates that can be applied,” Ayrapetov told Fortune. “When you run an old version of…
