Mandiant claims to have detected a 422% increase in victim organizations announced by ransomware groups via their leak sites year-on-year between the first quarter of 2020 and Q1 2021. Over three-quarters of consumers and cybersecurity professionals want to completely outlaw ransom payments as the number of victims per year keeps climbing, according to research conducted by Talion. The victims found by Mandiant included over 600 European organizations spread across industries such as legal and professional services, retail, and manufacturing.

Ransom payments have become an increasingly controversial topic as attackers demand more money and more attacks are occurring. Many professionals blame cyber insurance policies for bankrolling threat groups and encouraging more attacks in an endless cycle of cybercrime. It was recently revealed that corporate victims that pay ransom demands may be able to deduct the sum of the payment from their US tax bills, providing another incentive to hand over money to the criminal groups.

Read More: Ransom Leak Sites Reveal 422% Annual Increase in Victims