There has been an uptick in the number of ransomware attacks over the past year, with 13 industries worldwide feeling the effects, according to the IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2020, which was released Feb. 11.
For the report, IBM analyzed 70 billion security events per day in more than 130 counties. Additionally, IBM used data from X-Force IRIS, X-Force Red, IBM Managed Security Services and other information on publicly disclosed data breaches.
Here are three notes:
1. More than 100 government entities in the U.S. were affected by ransomware attacks in 2019.
2. Majority of the ransomware attempts (80 percent) were conducted by exploiting Windows Server Message Block vulnerabilities, the same tactic used to spread WannaCry ransomware.
3. Ransomware attacks cost these organizations more than $7.5 million in 2019.