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Updated October 17th, 2021 at 09:01 IST

Israel most affected country by ransomware since 2020, sees 600% surge in attacks: Report

Israel was the most affected country by ransomware attacks since 2020, according to a new cyber security analysis report commissioned by US tech giant Google.

Reported by: Riya Baibhawi
Israel
Image: Pixabay/Representative | Image:self
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A new report by Spanish cyber security firm Virus Total suggested that among countries in the world, Israel has been the most affected by ransomware attacks since 2020. The cyber security analysis, which witnessed the zionist state submitting the maximum number of samples was published on Thursday and was commissioned by Google. Titled the 'Ransomware Activity Report', the analysis result was based on over 80 million samples collected from 140 countries. 

"Israel is the most noteworthy outlier, with nearly a 600% increase in the number of submissions compared to its baseline. It is followed by South Korea, Vietnam, China, Singapore, India, Kazakhstan, Philippines, Iran and the UK," the report stated. 

Ransomware attacks have become one of the major threats in the world. In July, a ransomware attack on Kaseya-- a US-based service provider-- temporary halted the functioning of hundreds of businesses across 17 countries. In the aftermath, the FBI commenced a full-fledged investigation into the matter joining Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency and US federal agencies “to understand the scope of threat."

Ransomware attacks surged 600% between Jan 2020 and Sept 2021 in Israel

The number of ransomware attacks surged by a whopping 600% between January 2020 and September 2021. Additionally, Windows-based computers were targeted more than Android or iOS devices. According to the report, while computers made up 95% of targets, Android devices accounted for only 2% of the attacks. It is worth mentioning that while Israel topped the list, other majorly affected countries included India, South Korea, Vietnam, China, Iran, the Philippines, and the UK.  

(Image: Ransomware Activity Report)

Report will help researchers: Google

In its blog, Google said, "This report is designed to help researchers, security practitioners and the general public understand the nature of ransomware attacks while enabling cyber professionals to better analyze suspicious files, URLs, domains and IP addresses. Sharing insights behind how attacks develop is essential to anticipating their evolution and detecting cybersecurity threats across the globe."

Kaseya attack 

On July 2, the Miami-based IT and security provider was hit by a colossal cyberattack by a group of Russian hackers called ‘REvil’. The attack not only affected over 200 businesses across America but also hit over 800 grocery stores in Sweden, all of which were indirectly linked to Kaseya.

US President Joe Biden ordered a probe into the attacks, particularly to find out if the hackers were affiliated with Russia. Additional reports suggest that POTUS recently raised the threat in talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

(Image: Pixabay/Representative)

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Published October 17th, 2021 at 09:01 IST

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