Record number of ransomware attacks in 2023: Corvus
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There was a record number of ransomware attacks in 2023 with a total of 4,496 total leak site victims, compared with 2,670 in 2022 and 3,048 in 2021, according to a report Tuesday from Corvus Insurance Holdings Inc.
Incidents were down sequentially, in the fourth quarter by 7% from third-quarter 2023, with 1,278 victims observed on ransomware leak sites. Fourth-quarter incidents were, however, up 69% year over year, according to the report.
In 2022, ransomware attacks increased during each of the first three quarters and then declined slightly in the fourth quarter, the report said.
The increase in attacks parallels a jump in the amount of threat actors observed. The number of active ransomware groups increased by 34% between first-quarter and fourth-quarter 2023.
Despite the increases in incidents, the report emphasized law enforcement’s efforts to curb the most active ransomware groups, such as the Qakbot malware network, which included “a number of prominent ransomware gangs.”
Corvus Insurance, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Travelers Cos. Inc., was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Boston.
