{"id":197,"date":"2025-02-26T14:00:58","date_gmt":"2025-02-26T14:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techrepublic.com\/?p=4293517"},"modified":"2025-02-26T14:00:58","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T14:00:58","slug":"data-theft-drove-94-of-global-cyberattacks-in-2024-ransomware-defenses-are-increasingly-complex","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.tecnoartesanos.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/26\/data-theft-drove-94-of-global-cyberattacks-in-2024-ransomware-defenses-are-increasingly-complex\/","title":{"rendered":"Data Theft Drove 94% of Global Cyberattacks in 2024 & Ransomware Defenses are \u201cIncreasingly Complex\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Data theft accounted for 94% of all cyber attacks worldwide in 2024, according to new research, as cybercriminals increasingly combine data exfiltration with encryption in ransomware campaigns.<\/p>\n

Beyond encryption, ransomware attackers<\/a> now threaten to leak or sell a company\u2019s data on the dark web if victims refuse to pay. Stolen information often includes personally identifiable data and proprietary intellectual property.<\/p>\n

The findings come from BlackFog\u2019s 2024 Ransomware Trend Report, which analysed ransomware activity across hundreds of publicly disclosed and non-disclosed attacks on global organisations between January and December.<\/p>\n

The report found the average amount of data stolen in an undisclosed exfiltration attack is 592 GB, and the number of disclosed and undisclosed cyber attacks increased by 25% and 26% year-over-year, respectively.<\/p>\n

Dr. Darren Williams, founder and chief executive officer of BlackFog, said in a press release: \u201cThe report shows 2024 was a landmark year with organizations facing growing financial and reputational damage from ransomware attacks, with high-value sectors particularly pressured to pay ransoms to restore operations.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to IBM\u2019s Cost of Data Breach report, the average cost of a ransomware attack involving data exfiltration in 2024 was $5.21 million.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs cybercriminals continuously refine their techniques to exploit vulnerabilities and launch large-scale attacks, defending against ransomware is becoming increasingly complex,\u201d Dr. Williams added. \u201cGovernments are stepping up efforts to counter this growing threat, introducing new measures such as mandatory ransomware incident reporting. However, the global ransomware crisis continues to escalate at an alarming rate.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span>Ransomware attackers are increasingly drawn to legitimate enterprise tools<\/span><\/h2>\n

In September 2024, security researchers discovered a double-extortion ransomware variant targeting VMware ESXi servers<\/a>, which both copied and encrypted the target\u2019s data. Ransomware groups have also been exploiting legitimate file transfer technology<\/a> to secure attacks.<\/p>\n

SEE: Microsoft Says Ransomware Groups Are Exploiting the Newly-Patched VMware ESXi Flaw<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

BlackFog reported that PowerShell was used in 56% of ransomware cases in 2024, highlighting how attackers are increasingly \u201cleveraging legitimate tools and platforms to infiltrate networks, establish a presence, and exfiltrate data without triggering alarms from many endpoint protection platforms.\u201d<\/p>\n