Industrial systems besieged with ransomware attacks despite Conti shutdown

Industrial systems have been impacted by 125 ransomware attacks during the second quarter, compared with 158 during the first quarter, with the decline attributed to the shutdown of the Conti ransomware operation, reports The Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future. However, significant damage from ransomware attacks remained persistent, with a Mexico-based Foxconn factory and agricultural equipment manufacturer AGCO having their operations impacted for weeks after being attacked by the LockBit and Black Basta ransomware gangs, respectively, a Dragos report revealed. North America had the second-highest number of ransomware attacks against industrial firms and infrastructure during the second quarter, behind Europe but ahead of Asia, South America, the Middle East, and Africa. The report also showed that manufacturing organizations were hit with 86 attacks, compared with only 10 attacks against the food and beverage sector, as well as the energy industry. With the disappearance of Conti, most attacks have been attributed to LockBit 2.0, followed by Conti, Black Basta, Quantum, and the ALPHV and Hive ransomware operations.