Why Ransomware Remains a Major Threat for 2023

This report reviews the global rise and impact of ransomware in 2022, cataloging major incidents that affected millions of individuals and disrupted critical services (Optus, Medibank, LAUSD, Costa Rica, among others). It highlights trends such as ransomware-as-a-service, data exfiltration paired with encryption, targeting of high-value organizations (healthcare, government, infrastructure), and the operational and financial consequences for victims, and concludes with high-level mitigation recommendations (NIST framework, backups, patching, and investment in security operations).