2021 Trends Show Increased Globalized Threat of Ransomware

In 2021, cybersecurity authorities in the United States,[1][2][3] Australia,[4] and the United Kingdom[5] observed an increase in sophisticated, high-impact ransomware incidents against critical infrastructure organizations globally. The Federal

Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cybersecurity and

Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the

National Security Agency (NSA) observed incidents

involving ransomware against 14 of the 16 U.S.

critical infrastructure sectors, including the Defense

Industrial Base, Emergency Services, Food and

Agriculture, Government Facilities, and Information

Technology Sectors. The Australian Cyber Security

Centre (ACSC) observed continued ransomware

targeting of Australian critical infrastructure entities,

including in the Healthcare and Medical, Financial Services and Markets, Higher Education and Research, and Energy Sectors. The United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC-UK) recognizes ransomware as the biggest cyber threat facing the United Kingdom. Education is one of the top UK sectors targeted by ransomware actors, but the NCSC-UK has also seen attacks targeting businesses, charities, the legal profession, and public services in the Local Government and Health Sectors.

media.defense.gov/2022/Feb/09/2002935687/-1/-1/0/2021_TRENDS_SHOW_INCREASED_GLOBALIZED_THREAT_OF_RANSOMWARE_20220209.PDF