Barracuda has released it’s fourth-annual research report, noting a spike in monthly ransomware attacks to 1.2 million a month between January and June of this year.

In the past 12 months, Barracuda researchers identified and analysed 106 highly publicised ransomware attacks and found the dominant targets are still five key industries: education (15%), municipalities (12%), healthcare (12%), infrastructure (8%), and financial (6%).

As well as these key industries, researchers also saw a spike in the number of service providers that have been hit with a ransomware attack.

The number of ransomware attacks increased year over year across each of the five key industries, and attacks against other industries more than doubled compared to last year’s report.

While attacks on municipalities increased only slightly, Barracuda analysis over the past 12 months showed that ransomware attacks on educational institutions more than doubled, and attacks on the healthcare and financial verticals tripled.

This year, Barracuda researchers dug in deeper on these highly publicised attacks to see which other industries are starting to be targeted. Service providers were hit the most, and ransomware attacks on automobile, hospitality, media, retail, software, and technology organisations all increased as well.

Recommended

• Twelve more Scots startups chosen for MSIP accelerator
• Bruntwood Scitech doubles Scottish tech investment
• Eureka Solutions sees record turnover following restructuring

“As ransomware and other cyberthreats continue to evolve, the need for adequate security solutions has never been greater,” said Fleming Shi, CTO at Barracuda.

He added: “Many cybercriminals target small businesses in an attempt to gain access to larger organisations. As a result, it is essential for security providers to create products that are easy to use and implement, regardless of a company’s size.

“Additionally, sophisticated security technologies should be available as services, so that businesses of all sizes can protect themselves against these ever-changing threats. By making security solutions more accessible and user-friendly, the entire industry can help to better defend against ransomware and other cyberattacks.”

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.