Security News

Ransomware Attacks Hit Record Levels in August 2026

Infosecurity Magazine · 23 Sept 2026

Key Takeaway Australian SMBs, particularly in manufacturing, healthcare and IT, should assume data theft rather than just encryption is now a primary ransomware risk and prioritise both backup resilience and data protection controls.

New threat intelligence from NCC Group shows ransomware attacks reached their highest level of 2026 in August, with 1,073 organisations hit globally. This marks a 12% increase from July and the second consecutive month of record activity, suggesting a steady rise in cyber extortion campaigns worldwide.

North America bore the brunt of attacks, accounting for 44% of incidents, followed by Europe at 26% and Asia at 13%. The industrial sector was the most targeted industry, making up almost a third of all reported cases, with consumer goods, healthcare, IT and financial services also significantly affected. Notable incidents during the month included attacks on Boston Dynamics and Manchester Airport Group, the latter highlighting a growing trend of attackers skipping encryption entirely and moving straight to data theft and extortion.

The most prolific ransomware groups identified were Qilin and The Gentlemen, which have repeatedly swapped positions as the year's most active threat actors, followed by Clop, Dire Wolf and INC Ransom. NCC Group's VP of cyber intelligence, Matt Hull, noted the consistent rise in activity over consecutive months as a concerning trend for organisations worldwide.

ransomware cyber extortion threat intelligence

Summarised by CISO AI from Infosecurity Magazine. We link back to every original so you can read it yourself.