75% increase in ransomware attacks targeting Linux systems in 2022

NEW DELHI: Researchers in cyber-security have discovered a 75 percent percentage growth in Ransomware attacks that target Linux operating Systems in the first half of 2022 when compared to the first half of last year’s.

The group from Trend Micro observed the emergence of new Linux Ransomware families in the first six months of 2022.

“We observed how malicious actors favoured ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) methods for faster deployments and bigger payouts.They also employed more recent families of Ransomware in high-profile attacks , and have frequently targeted Linux-based Systems with attacks,” the researchers noted.

Based on the information on the table, there were 67 active RaaS organizations and more than 1,200 victim organizations which were reported in the first six months of this year.

The Ransomware hackers also employed innovative and tried-and-tested techniques for securing cloud-based environments.

The year before, the researchers found an entirely new Ransomware variant known as Cheerscrypt that also targeted ESXi servers.

“Successful attack of the servers, which are frequently utilized by large enterprises could result in significant security problems in crucial infrastructures,” the group warned.

In the early part of 2022, many businesses across the globe began to call for the majority, if certainly not all of their employees to return to work on a full-time basis.an event that is often referred to as “the Great Return.”

Some companies have also are adopting continuous hybrid work, or remote configurations.

“This dispersed labor pool, coupled with an expanded digital attack surface has made it more challenging for Cybersecurity experts to keep their different work structures safe and a vulnerability loop that cybercriminals can take advantage of to launch crucial attacks and exploit weaknesses,” said Trend Micro.

The RaaS model, which permits affiliates to rent or purchase infrastructure and tools for Ransomware also gained traction in the first quarter of 2022.

“In our security forecasts for the year, we predicted that Ransomware groups would target larger targets by employing more sophisticated methods of the extortion process -which matches the description of the most notable Ransomware families we reported on in the first half of 2022,” the team noted.