"Ransomware Impacts Over 200 Government, Education, Healthcare Orgs in 2022"
According to the cybersecurity firm Emisoft, ransomware attacks affected more than 200 larger organizations in the US public sector in the government, educational, and healthcare verticals in 2022. Data collected from publicly available reports, disclosure statements, leaks on the dark web, and third-party intelligence suggest that hackers stole data in nearly half of these ransomware attacks. According to available data, the ransomware threat impacted 105 counties, 44 universities and colleges, 45 school districts, and 24 healthcare providers in the US. Emisoft presented these statistics to emphasize that not all victims disclose such events, and some may have gone unnoticed by the researchers. Therefore, the figures in the year-end report on the condition of ransomware in the US should be regarded as conservative, as they cannot be used to accurately build a trend. Incidents involving the public sector are more likely to be disclosed, allowing for more consistent data. As a result, the researchers believe that this information could point to ransomware activities in the private sector. This article continues to discuss key findings from Emisoft's report on the state of ransomware in the US.