We’ve seen ransomware cost American lives. Here’s what it will actually take to stop it

Today’s ransomware numbers tell a stark story. The Department of Homeland Security reported more than 5,600 publicly-disclosed ransomware attacks worldwide in 2024, nearly half of them in the United States. The FBI found that ransomware incidents increased nearly nine percent year over year, with almost half targeting critical infrastructure. Attacks on these organizations pose the greatest threat to national security and public safety.

Despite this trend, we’re cautiously optimistic about the administration’s new National Cyber Strategy. It focuses on protecting critical infrastructure and stopping ransomware and cybercrime—threats it correctly elevates to top-tier national security threats.

But success requires sustained action across government and industry. Adversaries are evolving faster than defenses: ransomware attacks now average $2.73 million per incident, driving annual losses into the billions. Attackers have compressed their operations from weeks to hours, disabling Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) tools and leaving defenders almost no time to stop an attack.

Read more at CyberScoop