Malware researchers from Check Point and IBM X-Force Incident Response Teams have released data that details the rise of ransomware. The top ransomware families are Maze, Ryuk, and REvil (Sodinokibi) and they have been seen surging in number of incidents at a global level between June and September. Data from Check Point refers to the third quarter of this year during which Maze and Ryuk were the most prevalent ransomware families with Ryuk attacking an average of 20 companies per week. According to the data, Ryuk increased its activity in July and focused its efforts on healthcare organizations which are still under heavy stress from the pandemic. The research shows the U.S. was the most heavily hit country in the third quarter. Ransomware attacks have been very profitable for the threat groups with REvil netting almost $81 million profit so far this year.
