Ransomware Revenue Down As More Victims Refuse to Pay

Ransomware attackers extorted at least $456.8 million from victims in 2022, down from $765.6 million the year before. Instead, we believe that much of the decline is due to victim organizations increasingly refusing to pay ransomware attackers. 2022 ransomware by the numbersDespite the drop in revenue, the number of unique ransomware strains in operation reportedly exploded in 2022, with research from cybersecurity firm Fortinet stating that over 10,000 unique strains were active in the first half of 2022. However, the evidence suggests that this is due to victims’ increasing unwillingness to pay ransomware attackers rather than a decline in the actual number of attacks. Of course, the best-case scenario is for organizations not to fall victim to ransomware attacks in the first place.