Ransomware in 2023 recap: 5 key takeaways

2023 experienced a record surge in ransomware with 4,475 known attacks (a 70% increase from 2022); LockBit was the single most prolific gang (22% of attacks) while the top 10 gangs accounted for 70% of incidents. The report documents widespread exploitation of zero-day vulnerabilities (e.g., MOVEit, GoAnywhere, Citrix) enabling large-scale campaigns, significant impacts to critical infrastructure and sectors (education saw a 70% rise), and evolving criminal tactics such as data-theft emphasis, rebrandings, and novel distribution methods, even as some law enforcement takedowns occurred.