Group-IB, a leading creator of cybersecurity technologies to investigate, prevent, and fight digital crime, today released their annual Hi-Tech Crime Trends report. In 2023, Group-IB’s report revealed a 68% surge in ransomware attacks, primarily affecting financial services and real estate sectors.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, South Africa, and Turkey were the top targets for Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) affiliates. Information stealers posed a significant threat, impacting over 297,106 infected devices in the MEA region, with an additional 903,002 hosts’ logs available for sale on underground markets. Moreover, 152 new data leaks were identified in the MEA region during the same period.
H.E. Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cybersecurity for the UAE Government, said: “In an era when technology is evolving constantly, the UAE stands at the forefront of digital transformation. We have made great strides in safeguarding our digital landscape. However, ransomware remains a significant threat to our nation. Additionally, cybercriminals are adopting artificial intelligence to launch more advanced and sophisticated cyberattacks. This technology, once associated primarily with state and non-state actors, is now employed by a broader spectrum, including hacktivists. We, therefore, urge everyone – companies, public sector organizations and regulators, cybersecurity vendors, and law enforcement agencies – to collaborate and take the measures needed to stay ahead of cyber threats.”
Few more stats from the report –
- In the MEA region, data from 205 companies appeared on ransomware Data Leak Sites (DLSs), marking a 68% increase from the previous year’s 122 victim companies.
- Financial services were the primary target, accounting for 13% of victims, followed by real estate and manufacturing sectors, each comprising 9% of attacks.
- The top targeted locales in the MEA region in 2023 were Israel (14 attacks), Turkey (12) and the GCC region (8). Government and military organizations suffered the most APT attacks in the MEA region, totalling 20.