Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

SecurityWeekSecurityWeek

Ransomware

Record Number of Ransomware Attacks in December 2024

NCC Group saw over 570 ransomware attacks in December 2024, the highest number since it started monitoring them in 2021. 

NCC Group on Wednesday published its cyber threat intelligence report for December 2024 and pointed out that the number of ransomware attacks seen at the end of the year is the highest of any month since it started tracking such activity in 2021. 

The cybersecurity firm saw 574 ransomware attacks in December 2024, with a new threat group named FunkSec accounting for more than 100 attacks, or 18% of the total. 

The group, whose members are likely inexperienced hackers, appears to be involved in both hacktivism and cybercrime.

FunkSec was the most active ransomware group in December 2024, followed by Cl0p, Akira and RansomHub. 

According to NCC data, nearly one quarter of the ransomware attacks seen last month targeted the industrial sector, followed by the consumer discretionary, IT, financial and healthcare sectors.

More than half of the ransomware attacks observed in December targeted North American organizations, followed by entities in Europe and Asia.

“Since 2021, we have seen a decrease in the number of ransomware attacks in December, likely due to the holiday season. This year however, we observed a break in tradition with the highest numbers for December on record, highlighting the evolving and increasingly aggressive nature of ransomware threats,” NCC said in its report.

Related: UK Considers Banning Ransomware Payment by Public Sector and CNI

Related: Ransomware Groups Abuse Microsoft Services for Initial Access

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Related: Compromised AWS Keys Abused in Codefinger Ransomware Attacks

Written By

Eduard Kovacs (@EduardKovacs) is a managing editor at SecurityWeek. He worked as a high school IT teacher for two years before starting a career in journalism as Softpedia’s security news reporter. Eduard holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial informatics and a master’s degree in computer techniques applied in electrical engineering.

Trending

Daily Briefing Newsletter

Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest threats, trends, and technology, along with insightful columns from industry experts.

Discover strategies for vendor selection, integration to minimize redundancies, and maximizing ROI from your cybersecurity investments. Gain actionable insights to ensure your stack is ready for tomorrow’s challenges.

Register

Dive into critical topics such as incident response, threat intelligence, and attack surface management. Learn how to align cyber resilience plans with business objectives to reduce potential impacts and secure your organization in an ever-evolving threat landscape.

Register

People on the Move

The US arm of networking giant TP-Link has appointed Adam Robertson as Director of Information and Security.

Cyber exposure management firm Armis has promoted Alex Mosher to President.

Software giant Atlassian has named David Cross as its new CISO.

More People On The Move

Expert Insights

Daily Briefing Newsletter

Subscribe to the SecurityWeek Email Briefing to stay informed on the latest cybersecurity news, threats, and expert insights. Unsubscribe at any time.