{"id":5180,"date":"2024-02-06T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-06T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.malwarebytes.com\/press\/?p=5180"},"modified":"2024-02-06T05:20:38","modified_gmt":"2024-02-06T13:20:38","slug":"ransomware-attacks-increased-by-68-in-2023-according-to-malwarebytes-new-2024-threatdown-state-of-malware-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.malwarebytes.com\/press\/2024\/02\/06\/ransomware-attacks-increased-by-68-in-2023-according-to-malwarebytes-new-2024-threatdown-state-of-malware-report","title":{"rendered":"Ransomware Attacks Increased by 68% in 2023 according to Malwarebytes\u2019 New \u201c2024 ThreatDown State of Malware Report\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Malwarebytes Annual Report Examines the Most Prevailing Threats and Provides Defense Guidance for Organizations<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SANTA CLARA, Calif, February 6, 2024<\/strong> \u2014 Malwarebytes<\/a>, a global leader in real-time cyber protection, today released its 2024 ThreatDown State of Malware report<\/a> , which reveals that the United States accounted for almost half of all ransomware attacks in 2023. The annual cybersecurity analysis looks at the most prominent attacks and cybercrime tactics across popular operating systems and how IT teams \u2014 particularly those that are resource-constrained \u2014 can address them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSmall and medium-sized organizations face a deluge of cyber threats daily including ransomware, malware and phishing attacks. This new data spotlights the pervasive cat-and-mouse game between cybercriminals and the security and IT teams on the front lines,\u201d said Mark Stockley, Cybersecurity Evangelist, Malwarebytes ThreatDown Labs. \u201cThe threat landscape is constantly evolving especially with the explosion of AI and new adversaries with fresh strategies and tactics, but if organizations follow our guidance and become equipped to handle these top threats, they are off to a good start in 2024.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Big Game Ransomware is on the Rise<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alongside the rise of ransomware attacks in 2023 (68%), the average ransom demand also climbed significantly. The LockBit gang was responsible for the largest known demand, $80 million, following an attack on Royal Mail. Ransomware groups also evolved their tactics, getting scrappier and more sophisticated to target a higher volume of targets at the same time. For example, the CL0P ransomware gang broke established norms with a series of short, automated campaigns, hitting hundreds of unsuspecting targets simultaneously with attacks based on zero-day exploits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The repeated use of zero-days also signaled a new level of sophistication making CL0P the second most active \u201cbig game\u201d ransomware group of 2023, outpacing rivals that were active in every month of the year compared to just a few weeks of activity from CL0P. Lockbit also remained the most widely used ransomware-as-a-service, which accounted for more than twice as many attacks as its nearest competitor in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resurgence in Malicious Advertising<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malicious advertising \u2014 or malvertising \u2014 also made a comeback in 2023 and threatened both businesses and consumers alike. Countless campaigns appeared impersonating brands such as Amazon, Zoom and WebEx to deliver both Windows and Mac malware through highly convincing ads and websites that trick users into downloading malware on their devices. Malwarebytes ThreatDown Labs found Amazon, Rufus, Weebly, NotePad++ and Trading View to be the top five most impersonated brands. In addition, Dropbox, Discord, 4sync, Gitlab and Google emerged as the top five most abused hosts. Malwarebytes ThreatDown Labs also found Aurora Stealer, Vidar, Redline Stealer, BatLoader and IcedID to be the top five most frequently discovered malware.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Operating System Threats<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to ransomware and malvertising trends, Malwarebytes ThreatDown Labs found attacks on Android, Mac and Windows devices also evolved. Additional key findings include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n