Ransomware targets US as cloud sprawl and stolen credentials rise

According to the Zscaler ThreatLabz Ransomware Report, 50% of global ransomware attacks targeted organisations in the United States, underscoring the country’s high-value digital targets. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) recorded 859,532 complaints and more than $16 billion in reported losses in 2024, reflecting the scale of online activity and potential attack surfaces.

Okta’s 2024 Businesses at Work report shows organisations deploy an average of 93 applications, with U.S.-based companies averaging about 105, creating additional logins, roles and service accounts that widen attack paths. The IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report 2025 cites that stolen or compromised credentials account for 19% of breaches, with phishing at 17%, highlighting that many compromises begin with access rather than a single perimeter breach.

The Gartner estimate of public cloud end-user spending reaching $723.4 billion in 2025 further illustrates how growing cloud and SaaS adoption expands external exposure and attack surfaces. Overall, the article notes that breach costs are highest globally at an average of $10.22 million per incident, reinforcing the incentive for external visibility and proactive ASM measures.