New research has revealed that in Q4 2021, the world has witnessed 722 distinct attacks deploying 34 different variants of ransomware.
The increase in ransomware variants
According to Intel 471, some of the most prevalent ransomware variants used are Conti, LockBit 2.0, PYSA, Hive, and Grief.
- The most prevalent ransomware strain in Q4 was LockBit 2.0, accounting for 29.7% of all reported incidents. It’s followed by Conti at 19%, PYSA at 10.5%, and Hive at 10.1%.
- In comparison to the preceding quarter, only PYSA ransomware had a significant rise. The growth was also reported by the NCC Group.
- The total number of attacks increased by 110 attacks in comparison to Q3 of 2021.
Highly targeted sectors
The most impacted sectors were manufacturing, professional services, consulting, real estate, life sciences, health care, technology, media and telecommunications, and consumer.
- In comparison to Q3 2021 data, the attacks on the manufacturing sector have declined while consumer and industrial products rose by 22.2% in Q4. Further, life sciences and healthcare had a 27% rise.
- The shift in the consumer sector could be the seasonal interest for shopping during Christmas and Cyber Monday/Black Friday, which makes the targets more attractive during that time period
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Most affected countries
The most affected countries were the U.S., Italy, Germany, France, and Canada.
- Conti attacks mostly targeted the U.S., Italy, and Germany.
- Further, the U.S. was the most impacted country by Hive and PYSA ransomware attacks.
Ending notes
Ransomware gangs are a major threat for organizations globally. They are suggested to use robust and intelligent security solutions. Never should they skip on backing up of sensitive data, keeping systems and apps up-to-date, and training employees on how to respond when suspicious.
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