Ransomware Attempt Volume Sets A New Record

An article published in ZDNet has cited a report prepared by a cyber security firm that says that ransomware attempt volume saw a major rise in the first half of 2021 itself. The report has mentioned that the ransomware attempt volume rose up to an unbelievable figure of 304.7 million in this period.

Out of all the months in the first half of 2021, April and May saw a very high number of attempted ransomware attacks. However, the month of June beat both April and May by recording a ransomware attempt volume of 78.4 million!

It is worth noting that the figure has already surpassed the overall number of attempted ransomware attacks of 2020 which was 304.6 million. This also represents a year-on-year increase of 151% in the ransomware attempt volume.

Some Major Ransomware Attacks in 2021

1. Ransomware attack targeting Colonial Pipeline –  Colonial Pipeline, one of the largest oil pipelines in the US, was hit by a ransomware attack that forced it to shut down. This 5,500-mile-long pipeline, which carries more than 100 million gallons of fuel from Houston to New York Harbour every day, was forced to stay offline for a long period of time.

2. JBS paid $11 million in ransom – The world’s biggest meat producing company JBS was infected by a ransomware virus. The cyber attack caused the meat producer to temporarily shut down its operations. This mostly affected operations in North America and Australia. As per The Guardian, JBS has confirmed paying the ransom with the amount equivalent of $11 million in bitcoins.

3. Ransomware attack on French Connection – Popular fashion brand French Connection or as widely known FCUK was struck by the REvil ransomware group. The ransomware strike resulted in a breach of internal data. The REvil attackers, who are believed to have launched this attack, exploited an exposed security vulnerability in the organization’s back-end systems.

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Rishi Khemani

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