By the end of 2020, the ransomware market, fueled by the pandemic turbulence, had turned into the biggest cybercrime money artery. Based on the analysis of more than 500 attacks observed during Group-IB’s own incident response engagements and cyber threat intelligence activity, researchers estimate that the number of ransomware attacks grew by more than 150% in 2020.

In 2020, ransomware attacks on average caused 18 days of downtime for the affected companies, while the average ransom amount increased almost twofold.

Ransomware operations turned into robust competitive business structures going after large enterprises, with Maze, Conti, and Egregor gangs having been at the forefront last year. North America, Europe, Latin America, and thew Asia-Pacific became the most commonly attacked regions respectively.