--- title: "GandCrab Claims Supremacy: Most Prevalent Ransomware in the World Reaches 50% Market Share" description: Driving the shift to organized crime are several key ransomware families, including GandCrab. GandCrab took the limelight in H2 2018 with a 50% share. image: https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/hubfs/gand%20BBI.jpg --- [![](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/hubfs/2021/09/logo-white.svg)](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/?hsLang=en-us) [![CONTACT AN EXPERT](https://hubspot-no-cache-eu1-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/341979/1d8885e9-1179-49b1-a5ec-9c75f5f670dd.png)](https://hubspot-cta-redirect-eu1-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/redirect/341979/1d8885e9-1179-49b1-a5ec-9c75f5f670dd) - [For Home](https://www.bitdefender.com/solutions/) - [For Business](https://www.bitdefender.com/business/) - [Resources](https://www.bitdefender.com/business/resource-library.html) - [Webinars](https://www.bitdefender.com/business/webinars.html) # [BUSINESS INSIGHTS](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/?hsLang=en-us) By [**Filip Truta**](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/author/filip-truta) / May 13, 2019 # GandCrab Claims Supremacy: Most Prevalent Ransomware in the World Reaches 50% Market Share Share this [![Share on email](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/hubfs/2021/07/blog/email-color.png)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/gandcrab-has-a-50-share-on-the-ransomware-market&utm_medium=social&utm_source=email%20&body=Check%20out%20https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/gandcrab-has-a-50-share-on-the-ransomware-market&utm_medium=social&utm_source=email) [![Share on twitter](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/hubfs/2021/07/blog/twitter-color.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/gandcrab-has-a-50-share-on-the-ransomware-market&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&url=https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/gandcrab-has-a-50-share-on-the-ransomware-market&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&source=tweetbutton&text=) [![Share on linkedin](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/hubfs/2021/07/blog/linkedin-color.png)](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/gandcrab-has-a-50-share-on-the-ransomware-market&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin) [![Share on facebook](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/hubfs/2021/07/blog/facebook-color.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/gandcrab-has-a-50-share-on-the-ransomware-market&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook) Ransomware drains billions from the global economy each year and shows no signs of slowing down. However, the highest cost of a ransomware attack is no longer the ransom itself. Today, the bulk of the financial damage consists of downtime, tarnished reputations and regulatory fines. In our free whitepaper – [The Evolution of Ransomware in 2018](https://businessresources.bitdefender.com/evolution-ransomware-2018-whitepaper?hsLang=en-us) – we discuss how ransomware operators are becoming better at their craft. In a notable trend, the number of overall infections dropped compared to the year before, but targeted attacks increased as ransomware operators switched to more lucrative techniques and campaigns. Driving the shift from one-off hacks to organized crime were several key ransomware families, including SamSam and GandCrab. GandCrab took the limelight in the second half of 2018 with a 50% share. GandCrab campaigns are operated as-a-service -- the attacker is an “affiliate” in the program and has complete control over the spreading mechanisms that lead to infection. The crustacean-themed ransomware started claiming victims as early as January but only really showed its claws in the second half of 2018, demanding exorbitant ransom sums, up to $700,000 in some cases. While other families dominate the scene in terms of span and number of infections, none made more profit for its authors than GandCrab. Bitdefender telemetry also shows that GandCrab operators were at the peak of their activity in October. Depending on operational structure and business model, some organizations cannot recover from a ransomware attack without significant losses. For some businesses, ransomware can spell bankruptcy. For others, it means years of effort to recover. The progressively dangerous nature of ransomware highlights the importance of deploying a multilayered defensive framework to protect critical data and the IT infrastructure. [Download our free whitepaper](https://businessresources.bitdefender.com/evolution-ransomware-2018-whitepaper?hsLang=en-us) for an overview of the ransomware scene today, as well as a closer look at GandCrab’s anatomy. ### Explore More Topics - [Enterprise Security (743)](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/topic/enterprise-security) - [Threat Research (201)](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/topic/threat-research) - [Cloud Security (174)](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/topic/cloud-security) - [SMB Security (170)](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/topic/smb-security) - [Ransomware (166)](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/topic/ransomware) - [Privacy and Data Protection (137)](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/topic/privacy-and-data-protection) - [Cybersecurity Awareness (134)](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/topic/cybersecurity-awareness) - [Endpoint Protection & Management (126)](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/topic/endpoint-protection-management) - [Endpoint Detection and Response (124)](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/topic/endpoint-detection-and-response) - [Managed Detection and Response (119)](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/topic/managed-detection-and-response) - [Virtualization & Data Center Security (82)](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/topic/virtualization-data-center-security) - [Threat Intelligence (76)](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/topic/threat-intelligence) - [IT Compliance & Regulations (71)](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/topic/it-compliance-regulations) - [Bitdefender Threat Debrief (55)](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/topic/bitdefender-threat-debrief) - [Managed Service Providers (53)](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/topic/managed-service-providers) - [#Featured (52)](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/topic/featured) - [Advanced Persistent Threats (46)](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/topic/advanced-persistent-threats) - [Events (38)](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/topic/events) - [Independent Testing (18)](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/topic/independent-testing) - [Cybersecurity Advisory Services (9)](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/topic/cybersecurity-advisory-services) - [Podcast (3)](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/topic/podcast) - [top (2)](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/topic/top) See all topics ### Subscribe to Blog Updates ## Read more about this topic ### [Three Security Headaches in 2021 and the Technologies to Fix Them](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/three-security-headaches-in-2021-and-the-technologies-to-fix-them?hsLang=en-us) ### [Bitdefender recognized as a Visionary in the 2023 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Endpoint Protection Platforms](https://businessinsights.bitdefender.com/bitdefender-recognized-as-a-visionary-in-the-2023-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-endpoint-protection-platforms?hsLang=en-us) ### [Business VOIP Phone Systems Are Being Hacked for Profit Worldwide. 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