ANALYSIS: Federal Complaints Citing Ransomware Continue to Climb

Complaints filed in federal court in 2021 containing the term “ransomware” hit an all–time high of 165, continuing their recent steady upward trajectory.

This increase follows two years in which such complaints doubled: There were 62 in 2019 (up from 2018’s 31), and 140 in 2020, according to a search of Bloomberg Law dockets.

2022 appears set to continue the trend, with 46 complaints in Q1. If the other quarters of 2022 follow suit, this year could potentially see as many as 184 complaints, compared to 2021’s 165.

Ransomware is malicious software that invades a victim’s system and holds its ...