As cited
Copy frozen at (site build).
ransomware
Ransomware and Cyber Extortion in Q1 2026
Ransomware activity in Q1 2026 reached 2,638 posts on data-leak sites, up 22% from the prior year, with established groups like Akira and Qilin maintaining high victim volumes while newer actors like The Gentlemen surged into the top tier. Identity-first intrusions and SaaS-targeted attacks by groups such as ShinyHunters demonstrated that significant enterprise impact can occur without traditional encryption deployment. The threat landscape fragmented further, with some newer leak sites using questionable or fabricated claims to extort organizations.
Why it matters: Organizations must focus on detecting and disrupting common ransomware behaviors, such as exposed VPN and RDP access, trusted admin tool abuse, and lateral movement techniques, rather than tracking individual group rankings, as both established and emerging actors continue to drive widespread operational pressure.
- Source published
- First seen by Cybersecurity Tracker
Source attribution
Correction
Correction recorded as of .
ransomware
Ransomware and Cyber Extortion in Q1 2026
In Q1 2026, ransomware posts on data-leak sites reached 2,638, a 22% increase from the prior year, with established groups like Akira and Qilin maintaining high victim volumes alongside newer entrants. The Gentlemen surged 588% quarter over quarter to enter the top three, while extortion groups like ShinyHunters demonstrated impact through identity-focused intrusions and software-as-a-service (SaaS) abuse without deploying ransomware encryptors. Two newly emerged leak sites, 0APT and ALP-001, likely used fabricated claims to pressure enterprises, reflecting growing instability among mid-tier and emerging threat actors.
Why it matters: Organizations must prioritize detection and disruption of common ransomware behaviors (exposed remote access, trusted admin tool abuse, lateral movement over RDP and SMB) rather than tracking individual group names, as threat actor rankings shifted dramatically and newer groups generated significant operational pressure in Q1 2026.
- Source published
- First seen by Cybersecurity Tracker
Source attribution
Correction
Correction recorded as of .
ransomware
Ransomware and Cyber Extortion in Q1 2026
In Q1 2026, ransomware posts on data-leak sites reached 2,638, a 22% increase from the prior year, with established groups like Akira and Qilin maintaining high victim volumes alongside newer entrants. The Gentlemen surged 588% quarter over quarter to enter the top three, while extortion groups like ShinyHunters demonstrated impact through identity-focused intrusions and software-as-a-service (SaaS) abuse without deploying ransomware encryptors. Two newly emerged leak sites, 0APT and ALP-001, likely used fabricated claims to pressure enterprises, reflecting growing instability among mid-tier and emerging threat actors.
Why it matters: Organizations must prioritize detection and disruption of common ransomware behaviors (exposed remote access, trusted admin tool abuse, lateral movement over RDP and SMB) rather than tracking individual group names, as threat actor rankings shifted dramatically and newer groups generated significant operational pressure in Q1 2026.
- Source published
- First seen by Cybersecurity Tracker