Hacker News
Zscaler: Ransomware Gangs Now Target the 46-Year-Old Finance Manager, Not the CEO — Two-Thirds of Victims Are Manager-Level or Above
ThreatLabz analyzed 351 ransomware victims across 334 organizations and found the target profile has shifted decisively toward mid-level management: nearly two-thirds held manager titles or above, the average victim age was 46, and three-quarters worked in accounting, finance, sales, operations, HR, or marketing rather than IT. Zscaler's framing is that attackers now optimize for 'business privilege' — who approves payments, manages budgets, and reviews contracts — over technical access, because 'the value of a compromised managerial account lies in the breadth of business access associated with the position.' Blocked attempts rose 146% year over year, public extortion cases 70%, and data theft volume 92%.
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