The hackers chose ransomware in 2024 to carry out faster and more sophisticated attacks.

A new research report indicates that ransomware attacks are increasing in frequency, and the speed of hackers has intensified considerably. It mentions that cybercriminals are launching attacks as quickly as security professionals can neutralize them. A common attack method is ransomware-as-a-service, where malicious tools and services are offered to subscribers.

According to a recent analysis by the Barracuda Managed XDR team, there were four times more ransomware attacks in 2024 compared to the previous year. For this assessment, 11 trillion IT events in 2024 were examined, of which 1 million were identified as having potential risk. Of these, 16,812 events were classified as "high-severity threats requiring immediate defensive action."

The research center emphasized that ransomware attacks are evolving rapidly compared to other types of cyberattacks, likely due to the increasing availability of ransomware-as-a-service offerings. The developers behind these platforms often have the resources, skills, and time to create advanced tools and evasive schemes. It is estimated that criminals spend between 74 minutes and 2 hours implementing ransomware attacks before being detected.

The RaaS operating model broadens the spectrum of attackers, allowing anyone willing to rent and use these kits to participate in these activities. The security team underscores that, despite the improvement of defensive tools, cybercriminals are employing increasingly fast and complex strategies. While criminals can install malware in just over a minute, Barracuda Managed XDR can log 350,000 IT events per second to track serious threats.

Organizations are advised to strengthen their internal security through measures such as multi-factor authentication, access controls, patch management, data protection, and cybersecurity training for employees.