Canada is the top 3rd country affected by successful RaaS and extortion attacks in 1H 2023

Today, Trend Micro released its ransomware report for 1H which found that Canada is the top 3rd country affected by successful RaaS and extortion attacks in the first and second quarters of 2023, just behind U.S. and the U.K.

The report* revealed that many ransomware threat actors are no longer going after “big game” targets, instead focusing on SMBs they presume to be less well-defended. In Canada, while ransomware file detection at enterprise organizations decreased by 69.13% in the second quarter of the year, data shows  a 214.29% increase in file detections  for SMBs. Findings also revealed that globally, small businesses accounted for the majority (57%) of LockBit victims and almost half (45%) of Black Cat victims in the first half of this year.

Further, healthcare, education and technology emerged as the top three industries in ransomware file detection in Canada in the first half of the year.

Additional Canadian survey findings:

  • Canada is included in the top 5 countries in terms of ransomware file detections in machines in March 2023. The top ransomware was BlackBasta and Trend had predicted it would continue to be of significance in Canada.
  • Canada was fourth in terms of LockBit’s successful attacks of victim organizations in the second quarters of 2023.
  • Canada was 3rd then rose to 2nd when it came to BlackCat’s successful attacks in terms of victim organizations in the first and second quarters of 2023.
  • Canada was the top 3rd country for Clop’s successful attacks in terms of victim organizations in the first and second quarters of 2023.

As ransomware attacks become more evolved and complex, it’s not just ransom demands that will increase through the years: recovery times are also expected to be longer. And while SMBs are surely a target, enterprise and consumer aren’t far behind. 

Learn more about the ransomware threats in the first half of the year here.

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