The alarm is raised directly by the newspaper The Guardian: in Great Britain the phenomenon ransomware is taking on worrying proportions. The police force of the Manchester metropolitan area, in fact, represents only the latest victim in a long list.
Businesses and public bodies hit by ransomware attacks in the UK this year alone include Royal Mailthe outsourcing company Capita and many other leading companies. Among other things, the aforementioned The Guardian was also hit by such an attack last year.
On the other hand, when we talk about ransomware, we are referring to a complex and above all very broad threat. According to theInformation Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK data watchdog, were reported last year 706 accidents linked to this type of threat, an increase compared to the 694 reported in 2021.
Ransomware and the United Kingdom: a worrying situation
Most cybercriminal groups are linked to Eastern Europe, the former Soviet republics and especially Russia. This year British Airways, BBC e Boots were targeted in an attack by the group clopwhich is named after the same ransomware strain it uses.
Second Rafe Pillingdirector of threat research at Secureworks “There are currently several criminal gangs conducting this activity” then adding as “The vast majority speak Russian or have ties to Russia“.
Despite the numbers, the United Kingdom tries to combat the payment of ransoms in every way: it is not for nothing that giving in to cybercriminals’ blackmail is considered completely illegal. According to what was reported by Sophos, in reality there are many companies that give in and put their hands on their wallets. British companies, in fact, appear to pay on average $2.1 million per year in ransoms.
A worrying situation, but one that certainly does not only concern the land of Albion: not for nothing, ransomware is increasingly widespread, even in the Europen context.
