FBI Reports Ransomware Surge in Critical Infrastructure, Highlights Persistent Threats
In 2022, ransomware attacks continued to plague organizations, with phishing, remote desktop protocol (RDP) exploitation, and software vulnerabilities remaining the primary initial infection vectors, according to the FBI. Threat actors increasingly relied on extortion tactics threatening to leak stolen data to pressure victims into paying ransoms.
Of the 2,385 ransomware incidents reported to the FBI last year, 870 targeted critical infrastructure sectors, with the healthcare and public health sector bearing the brunt of attacks. Collectively, these infections resulted in adjusted losses exceeding $34 million. However, the FBI acknowledged that the true scale of ransomware activity remains underreported, as many incidents go unreported to law enforcement.
Extortion both ransomware-related and other forms ranked as the fourth-highest cybercrime type reported to the FBI in 2022, though overall extortion complaints remained flat compared to 2021 and down nearly 50% from a 2020 peak.
Security leaders and government officials emphasized the need for bipartisan cooperation on cyber resilience, stressing that national security priorities should transcend partisan divides, particularly as the U.S. approaches the presidential election. Meanwhile, experts warned that third-party vendors must prioritize secure development practices over speed to market to mitigate supply chain risks.
The report underscores the ongoing threat ransomware poses to critical infrastructure, with healthcare, public health, and other essential services facing disproportionate targeting.
Source: https://www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/ransomware-critical-infrastructure-2022/645068/
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/fbi
"id": "FBI1774268926",
"linkid": "fbi",
"type": "Ransomware",
"date": "1/2022",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "5",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the organization's existence"{'affected_entities': [{'industry': ['Healthcare', 'Public Health'],
'type': 'Critical Infrastructure'}],
'attack_vector': ['Phishing',
'Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) Exploitation',
'Software Vulnerabilities'],
'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Threatened (extortion tactic)'},
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2022',
'description': 'In 2022, ransomware attacks continued to plague '
'organizations, with phishing, remote desktop protocol (RDP) '
'exploitation, and software vulnerabilities remaining the '
'primary initial infection vectors. Threat actors increasingly '
'relied on extortion tactics threatening to leak stolen data '
'to pressure victims into paying ransoms. Of the 2,385 '
'ransomware incidents reported to the FBI last year, 870 '
'targeted critical infrastructure sectors, with the healthcare '
'and public health sector bearing the brunt of attacks. '
'Collectively, these infections resulted in adjusted losses '
'exceeding $34 million.',
'impact': {'financial_loss': '$34 million (adjusted losses)'},
'lessons_learned': 'Need for bipartisan cooperation on cyber resilience and '
'secure development practices for third-party vendors to '
'mitigate supply chain risks.',
'motivation': ['Extortion', 'Financial Gain'],
'ransomware': {'data_exfiltration': 'Threatened (extortion tactic)'},
'recommendations': ['Prioritize secure development practices over speed to '
'market',
'Enhance cyber resilience through bipartisan cooperation'],
'references': [{'source': 'FBI Report'}],
'response': {'law_enforcement_notified': 'FBI'},
'title': 'FBI Reports Ransomware Surge in Critical Infrastructure',
'type': 'Ransomware'}