A message flickering across computer screens at Knights of Old, a 158-year-old UK delivery company, triggered panic. The company's internal infrastructure, including its network for truck management and payment booking systems, was down due to a ransomware attack by Akira, a Russia-linked criminal group. In June 2023, Akira deployed malicious software, encrypting Knights' files and threatening to publish confidential data unless a ransom was paid.
The FBI and a Bloomberg analysis found that Akira had victimized more than 350 organizations, extorting an estimated $42 million since March 2023. In 2023, ransomware attacks rose 70% from a year earlier, to 4,611, according to the Sans Institute