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Palo Alto Networks reveals ransomware payments hit new records in 2021
ansomware payments hit new records in 2021 as
R cybercriminals increasingly turned to Dark Web ‘ leak sites ’ where they pressured victims to pay up by threatening to release sensitive data , according to research released from Unit 42 by Palo Alto Networks .
The average ransom demand in cases worked on by Unit 42 incident responders rose 144 % in 2021 to
US $ 2.2 million , while the average payment climbed 78 % to US $ 541,010 , according to The 2022 Unit 42 Ransomware Threat Report .
The most affected industries were professional and legal services , construction , wholesale and retail , healthcare and manufacturing .
“ In 2021 , ransomware attacks interfered with everyday activities that people all over the world take for granted – everything from buying groceries , purchasing gasoline for our cars to calling 911 in the event of an emergency and obtaining medical care ,” said Jen Miller-Osborn , Deputy Director , Unit 42 Threat Intelligence .
The report describes how the cyber extortion ecosystem grew in 2021 , with the emergence of 35 new ransomware gangs .
The number of victims whose data was posted on leak sites rose 85 % in 2021 , to 2,566 organisations , according to Unit 42 ’ s analysis . A total of 60 % of leak site victims were in the Americas , followed by 31 % for Europe , the Middle East and Africa and then 9 % in the Asia-Pacific region .
CyberArk Ventures launches with US $ 30 million fund to fuel innovative cybersecurity technologies
yberArk , a global leader in
C identity security , has announced the launch of CyberArk Ventures – a US $ 30 million global investment fund designed to empower the next generation of disruptors by solving complex security challenges with innovative technology . CyberArk has initially aligned with four Venture Capital investors : Venrock , YL Ventures , Team8 Capital and Merlin Ventures .
CyberArk Ventures has also announced that it has completed initial investments in three cybersecurity start-ups : Dig Security , which provides real-time threat detection solutions for data assets hosted in public cloud ; Enso Security : Application Security Posture Management and Zero Networks , a leading provider of identity-based microsegmentation . of cyberattacks increase , the focus on protecting endpoints , networks , applications and data – wherever they reside – from unauthorised and / or unintended access has become more important than ever .
“ We ’ re seeking innovative security startups that are solving difficult problems for their customers ,” said Udi Mokady ,
Founder , Chairman and CEO , CyberArk . “ Our first three investments are the trifecta – network security , application security and data security . CyberArk Ventures is a natural evolution of our business strategy – giving CyberArk an exciting opportunity to support the next wave of cybersecurity innovators and nurture an expanded ecosystem of trailblazers .”
As the complexity of enterprise IT environments expands and the threat
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