Out of the Crypt: The Evolving Cyber Extortion Economy
Summary: Unit 42's 2026 Global Incident Response Report found that encryption was used in 78% of extortion-related cases in 2025, down from near-or-above-90% levels between 2021 and 2024, as actors shift toward pure data theft and extortion. Unit 42 attributes the drop to better backup and recovery, endpoint maturity, faster exfiltration, and regulatory pressure, and reports that mid-sized organizations accounted for 64% of pure data-exfiltration victims in 2025.
Key Takeaway: Unit 42 puts the average cost of data-theft extortion at $5.08 million, and over $10 million for broader U.S. breaches, while strict mandates like the SEC's 4-day disclosure window and GDPR's 72-hour reporting rule give attackers a countdown clock to force rapid negotiations.
Read the original at Unit 42 Palo Alto Networks ↗
- Topics
- Ransomware
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