According to threat intelligence firm Digital Shadows, the number of companies reporting ransomware breaches has dropped, despite the rise of many new cyber-threat groups.

The company reported that in the first quarter of the year, there were 528 organisations listed on ransomware leak sites – a drop of 25.3% compared to the previous quarter.

Much of this could be arguably contributed to the drop off in activity from some of the most prolific ransomware groups. As Digital Shadows point out, allegedly Russian-tied ransomware-as-a-service group Conti saw a 32% decrease in victims and other prolific groups like Pysa listed no one on ransomware leak sites in this quarter.

In fact, with regards to Pysa, Digital Shadows claims that the group have potentially disbanded or dispersed, despite being one of the most active ransomware groups of 2021.

In a statement, the company explained why this might be the case: “A trend that is typically observed between quarters is that new ransomware groups are created at a similar rate to groups being shut down.

“This is likely because affiliates frequently move from groups that are no longer active to those that are emerging. Groups also often shut down operations and rebrand, to avoid raising attention from law enforcement agencies.”

Recommended

• The 11 most expensive NFTs ever sold
• Atlassian customers face lengthy disruption after cloud outage
• Easter phishing emails exploit holiday to spread Emotet

In terms of the most active groups thus far in 2022, LockBit 2.0 and Conti continue to be prolific – as they have been throughout the last two quarters. Of the 70 groups tracked by Digital Shadows these two account for 58% of incidents.

Despite the relatively subdued start to the year, Digital Shadows warned that likely isn’t going to last as we move through the year, with disbanded groups likely dispersing to form new entities as well as the looming threat of spillover from the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Get the latest news from DIGIT direct to your inbox

Our newsletter covers the latest technology and IT news from Scotland and beyond, as well as in-depth features and exclusive interviews with leading figures and rising stars.

To subscribe, click here.