International. According to data from Ransomlooker, approximately 4191 successful attacks occurred last year, that is, 1837 more incidents than in 2022.
Ransomlooker is a free tool from Cybernews for monitoring the dark web and other hidden areas of the internet. Its findings include that 2023 saw a daily average of 36 successful ransomware attacks, which equates to more than one successful attack per hour.
Over the past four years, the most targeted countries have been the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and France. Traditionally, the United States has held the top position, with a death toll nearly ten times higher than that of the second-ranked country.
Other economically and technologically advanced countries that maintain a consistent presence in the top ten include Italy, Australia and Spain.
What is more unexpected is the continued inclusion of India and Brazil in the top 12 list despite their less developed economies. However, this correlation aligns with their comparatively limited ability to invest in advanced cybersecurity practices and increased susceptibility to successful attacks.
The most active group in 2023: LockBit
According to data presented by the Cybernews research team, 66 active ransomware groups operating in the digital landscape were identified in 2023. The top 10 groups, based on the number of victims, will collectively account for 59% of total victims in 2023.
LockBit remained the most active group, claiming responsibility for 1.009 incidents that constituted nearly a quarter of all ransomware attacks in 2023. This group mainly focused its attacks on the construction, manufacturing and industrial industries, and retail.
Overall, the most vulnerable industries globally were IT service and consulting providers, construction, manufacturing, retail, hospitals, insurance, legal practice, real estate, software development, and machinery manufacturing.
