HIPAA Journal has a piece highlighting some findings from Crowdstrike’s 2021 report. It begins:
CrowdStrike has released its annual threat report which shows there was a major increase in data leaks following ransomware attacks in 2021, rising 82% from 2020. CrowdStrike observed 2,686 ransomware attacks in 2021 compared to 1,474 in 2020. There were more than 50 ransomware attacks a week in 2021.
Ransomware gangs also increased their ransom demands in 2021, which were 36% higher than in 2020. In 2021, the average ransom demand was $6.1 million. The healthcare industry was extensively targeted by ransomware gangs in 2021, even though several threat actors claimed they would not conduct attacks on healthcare organizations. CrowdStrike tracked 154 ransomware attacks on healthcare organizations in 2021, up from 94 in 2020, with healthcare ranking 6th out of all industry sectors for data leaks, down from 4th position in 2020.
Read more at HIPAA Journal.
You can request Crowdstrike’s full report here.