Increased Caution
The report suggests that as well as companies – and organizations – ramping up their defenses, hackers are also going to ground. Lizzie Cookson, Senior Director of Incident Response at Coveware, says in the report: “We saw a rise in lone actors, but we did not see any group(s) swiftly absorb their market share, as we had seen happen after prior high profile takedowns and closures.”
She added: “The current ransomware ecosystem is infused with a lot of newcomers who tend to focus efforts on the small- to mid-size markets, which in turn are associated with more modest ransom demands.”
The investigation also found that hackers are keeping their ill-gotten gains in personal wallets – again a reflection on the growing efficiencies of law enforcement in tracking them down.
However, the report ends with a call for action, urging people working in this sphere to “build on the progress made in 2024,” because although hackers are getting less money, the attacks continue.
