{"data":{"id":"2d967ff9-0ae0-450a-8995-58c05292f527","title":"Out of the Crypt: The Evolving Cyber Extortion Economy","summary":"Cybercriminals are increasingly using data theft and extortion without encryption (ransomware, a type of malware that locks files until payment is made), shifting from the 90% encryption rates seen in 2021-2024 to just 78% in 2025. This change is driven by better backup systems, stricter regulations like GDPR's 72-hour reporting requirement, and the fact that data exposure alone now costs organizations an average of $5.08 million in fines and lawsuits. Threat actors are particularly targeting mid-sized firms in Professional Services, Healthcare, and Construction, focusing on valuable business data like financial records and bids.","solution":"N/A -- no mitigation discussed in source.","labels":["security"],"sourceUrl":"https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/cyber-extortion-economy/","publishedAt":"2026-05-27T22:00:46.000Z","cveId":null,"cweIds":null,"cvssScore":null,"cvssSeverity":null,"severity":"info","attackType":["supply_chain"],"issueType":"news","affectedPackages":null,"affectedVendors":[],"affectedVendorsRaw":[],"classifierModel":"claude-haiku-4-5-20251001","classifierPromptVersion":"v3","cvssVector":null,"attackVector":null,"attackComplexity":null,"privilegesRequired":null,"userInteraction":null,"exploitMaturity":null,"epssScore":null,"patchAvailable":null,"disclosureDate":"2026-05-27T22:00:46.000Z","capecIds":null,"crossRefCount":0,"attackSophistication":"moderate","impactType":["confidentiality","integrity"],"aiComponentTargeted":null,"llmSpecific":false,"classifierConfidence":0.55,"researchCategory":null,"atlasIds":null}}