Acording to a newly published Comparitech report, global ransomware attacks reached a new high in H1 of 2026 with an average of 23 attacks per day. During the first six months of 2026, researchers logged 4,217 ransomware attacks. This is an 11 percent increase on the second half of 2025 (3,809).
Additional key findings include:
- 484 confirmed ransomware attacks
- 319 were on businesses
- 83 were on government entities
- 49 were on healthcare companies
- 33 were on educational institutions
- 3,733 unconfirmed attacks*
- 3,356 were on businesses
- 102 were on government entities
- 198 were on healthcare companies
- 71 were on educational institutions
- 5,019,204 records compromised in the confirmed attacks
- Median ransom demand: $150,000 (average: $1.36M)
- Qilin was the most prolific ransomware group with 641 victims in total, followed by The Gentlemen (464) and Akira (317)
- Qilin (54) and The Gentlemen (51) had the most confirmed attacks
- The United States was the most targeted country with 1,832 attacks in total, followed by Canada (200), Germany (164), the United Kingdom (157), Italy (131), France (117), and Spain (100)
- China saw one of the biggest upticks in attacks from H2 2025 to H1 2026 (up 540% from 5 to 30)
Commenting on these findings is Rebecca Moody, Head of Data Research at Comparitech:
“One thing that stands out in this report is how the growth of one ransomware group can start to change the threat landscape. The Gentlemen overtook Qilin in the number of attack claims last month, and, as the group operates a more “international” approach to its targets, attack figures dropped in the US (when compared to H2 of 2025), despite figures increasing in most other countries.
Around half of Qilin’s targets tend to be US-based, but less than 1 in 5 of The Gentlemen’s victims in June 2026 were based in the US. Perhaps seeing how saturated ransomware attacks are in the US, The Gentlemen has decided to focus more of its efforts further afield — and with relative success. 51 of its 2026 victims have confirmed their attacks to date, with notable names including Mackay Sugar in Australia, the Grand Hotel Taipei in Taiwan, and NATO contractor Indra (Spanish HQ but subsidiary affected).”
For full details, you can read the study here: https://www.comparitech.com/news/ransomware-roundup-h1-2026-stats-on-attacks-ransoms-and-active-gangs/
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This entry was posted on July 2, 2026 at 10:03 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Comparitech. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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Ransomware Roundup: H1 2026 stats on attacks, ransoms, and active gangs
Acording to a newly published Comparitech report, global ransomware attacks reached a new high in H1 of 2026 with an average of 23 attacks per day. During the first six months of 2026, researchers logged 4,217 ransomware attacks. This is an 11 percent increase on the second half of 2025 (3,809).
Additional key findings include:
Commenting on these findings is Rebecca Moody, Head of Data Research at Comparitech:
“One thing that stands out in this report is how the growth of one ransomware group can start to change the threat landscape. The Gentlemen overtook Qilin in the number of attack claims last month, and, as the group operates a more “international” approach to its targets, attack figures dropped in the US (when compared to H2 of 2025), despite figures increasing in most other countries.
Around half of Qilin’s targets tend to be US-based, but less than 1 in 5 of The Gentlemen’s victims in June 2026 were based in the US. Perhaps seeing how saturated ransomware attacks are in the US, The Gentlemen has decided to focus more of its efforts further afield — and with relative success. 51 of its 2026 victims have confirmed their attacks to date, with notable names including Mackay Sugar in Australia, the Grand Hotel Taipei in Taiwan, and NATO contractor Indra (Spanish HQ but subsidiary affected).”
For full details, you can read the study here: https://www.comparitech.com/news/ransomware-roundup-h1-2026-stats-on-attacks-ransoms-and-active-gangs/
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This entry was posted on July 2, 2026 at 10:03 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Comparitech. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.