New Report Says Requested Ransomware Demands Up 200 Percent in 2019

A new report from The Crypsis Group shows that cybercriminals are continuing to escalate tactical approaches and becoming more targeted in their attacks.

The 2020 Incident Response and Data Breach showed that ransomware and business email compromises where the two most pervasive and impactful cyberattacks in terms of business disruption and monetary loss in 2019.

"Since 2018, threat actors have evolved from deploying mass-distributed phishing campaigns with lower ransom demands to highly targeted, well-researched attacks on larger enterprises with deeper pockets," said Crypsis Group CEO, Bret Padres. "We believe these new methods represent a tactical shift in response to stronger enterprise security defenses and an associated reduction in organizations' willingness to pay.”

When attempting business email compromises, the report says that criminals are conducting more research for better success.

Insider threats were found to be an imposing threat, rising 70 percent compared to the previous year. Fifty-seven precent of insider attacks were from employees looking to advance their career and had plans to leave the organization.

Finally, Crypsis said that healthcare and financial organizations are the top industries targeted by a security incident.

You can access the complete report here.

About the Author

Brent Dirks is senior editor for Security Today and Campus Security Today magazines.

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