According to IT Pro, A new report has found that global ransomware activity dropped throughout the third quarter as the order of dominant groups in the landscape shifted, but that businesses should expect a surge by threat actors in Q4 to exploit consumer trends. The number of ransomware attacks in Q3 2022 was down 10.5% on Q2, according to the latest report by cyber security firm Digital Shadows. This was driven in part by the sudden cessation of activity by the Conti group, as well as a reorganisation of leading groups over July and August. Around 39% of all attacks across Q3 were made against victims within the United States, reflective of the consolidation of wealthy companies within the country. France and Spain followed, with the UK the fourth most targeted in the same period, accounting for 4.8% of victims. This marks a fall from the UK’s third place in Q2, and appears to have been driven by a surge in attacks in France and Spain, including Hive’s attack on French telco giant Altice in August. Digital Shadows forecasts a rise in activity in Q4 2022. This is not unusual, as commercial events such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday often coincide with an increase in malicious activity online, while online shopping around Christmas is exploited by threat actors with phishing campaigns.
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