It was discovered that 16% of attacks in the UK were related to education, compared to 4% in France, 7% in Germany, and 7% in the US.
The education sector of UK was allegedly targeted by the Vice Society group last year, which resulted in a much more significant ransomware attack there than in other nations.
The most recent data from the security vendor, covering the period from April 2022 to March 2023, is based on known attacks in which the victims chose not to pay a ransom, so the actual numbers may be even higher.
It was discovered that 16% of attacks in the UK were related to education, compared to 4% in France, 7% in Germany, and 7% in the US. According to Malwarebytes, Vice Society is the main cause of this disparity.
According to a blog post by Vice Society, “The UK is one of the group’s favourite targets, accounting for 21% of the group’s known attacks in the past 12 months, a close second to the US with 23%, and significantly more than the next country, Spain, with 8%.”
“Unfortunately, the UK’s educational sector is the focus of Vice Society’s disproportionate attention. In the UK, over the last 12 months, Vice Society is known to have carried out about 76% of attacks against targets in the educational sector and 70% of attacks against UK education sector.
According to Malwarebytes, the Vice Society employs tried-and-true attack strategies like phishing, exploits, and credentials that have been compromised for initial access, as well as legal software like Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) for post-intrusion activity.
The vendor continued, “We can only speculate as to why Vice Society has such a thirst for UK schools, colleges, and universities, but we know the sector isn’t exactly flush with cash. “In 2021, this author conducted a number of interviews with individuals involved in supplying cyber security for UK schools.
The overall picture was the same in all of them: cybersecurity was one of many responsibilities carried by a very small number of IT staff members who were under extreme pressure and ill-equipped to fend off the Vice Society’s attentions.
Despite a sizable disparity in attack volumes, the UK overall experienced more ransomware attacks over the past 12 months than any other nation besides the US. However, when comparing economic output, the two nations are essentially tied, with Canada and Spain suffering the most on a global scale. According to the report, the US is once again the nation that receives the most attacks per capita, followed by Canada, Australia, and then the UK.