Fortinet Global Ransomware Report 2023

Keypoints

• The reports usually consist of sections such as executive summaries, threat landscape analysis, attack methods, organizational readiness, and future security outlooks, providing comprehensive insights into current cyber threats.
• Key statistics highlight that over 80% of surveyed organizations are highly concerned about ransomware, yet 50% experienced attacks last year, indicating a disconnect between perceived and actual security effectiveness.
• Phishing emails remain the leading entry method for ransomware, accounting for 56% of attacks, followed by vulnerabilities like vulnerable ports and RDP exploits.
• Despite increased investments in cybersecurity technologies like AI, EDR, and zero-trust solutions, organizations employing a point product approach are 67% more likely to fall victim to ransomware compared to those adopting consolidated platforms.
• The global threat landscape shows variations, with Asia Pacific experiencing the highest attack rates (56%) and Europe the lowest (41%), alongside regional differences in ransom amounts and response strategies.
• Major trends include the rising sophistication of ransomware variants, with over 10,000 new variants introduced in the first half of 2022, and attackers increasingly targeting organizations for higher payouts through reconnaissance and targeted campaigns.
• Organizations emphasize the importance of integrated security platforms, AI-driven threat detection, automated response capabilities, and ongoing employee awareness training to effectively combat evolving ransomware threats.
• Recommendations for future strategies include consolidating security tools into platforms, enhancing threat intelligence sharing, and conducting regular incident response testing to reduce operational complexity and improve defense readiness.’