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A significant increase in ransomware attacks has been observed, driven by alliances between major ransomware groups and a surge in activity from the Qilin group. Qilin accounted for nearly 29% of all ransomware attacks in October 2025, with industrials, consumer discretionary, and healthcare sectors being the most targeted. North America experienced the majority of these attacks, but South Korea saw a notable spike, particularly in its financial sector, due to a sophisticated supply chain attack involving a compromised Managed Service Provider (MSP). This campaign, dubbed 'Korean Leaks,' resulted in 25 South Korean financial institutions being hit in September alone, a dramatic rise from previous months.
The Qilin group operates as a Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) and has demonstrated explosive growth, leveraging affiliates that include state-linked actors such as North Korea's Moonstone Sleet. The attack on South Korea's financial sector highlights the evolving tactics of ransomware groups, including the use of MSPs as initial access vectors and the blending of criminal and state-sponsored operations. The ongoing alliances and technical sophistication of these groups are expected to drive further increases in ransomware activity, especially during high-traffic periods like the end-of-year holidays.
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8 events from the most recent confirmed update back to the earliest known activity.
On publication, Bitdefender detailed the Qilin-led South Korean supply-chain attack, linking the campaign to MSP compromise, large-scale data theft, and possible influence from North Korean actor Moonstone Sleet.
By the latest reported quarter in late 2025, researchers counted 88 active ransomware groups, with new entrants such as The Gentlemen targeting healthcare, financial, and IT sectors.
By late 2025, LockBit 5.0 was reported to be partnering with DragonForce and Qilin, a development cited as increasing technical capabilities and making attribution more difficult.
In late 2025, Qilin carried out a three-wave campaign dubbed 'Korean Leaks,' stealing more than 1 million files and about 2 TB of data while mixing political messaging with extortion demands.
In October 2025, Qilin accounted for 29% of observed ransomware attacks globally, making it the most active group that month, ahead of Sinobi and Akira.
NCC Group reported that global ransomware attacks increased by 41% between September and October 2025, driven by new threat actors and alliances among established groups.
Using the MSP compromise, Qilin deployed ransomware and conducted data theft against 25 South Korean financial organizations in September 2025, affecting more than 20 asset management companies.
In September 2025, attackers linked to the Qilin ransomware operation breached South Korean managed service provider GJTec, creating a supply-chain entry point into downstream financial-sector customers.
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The Qilin ransomware group has emerged as one of the most prolific ransomware operations, claiming responsibility for over 500 attacks in the past six months and targeting major organizations worldwide. Notably, Qilin has allegedly stolen 10 GB of data from International Game Technology (IGT), a multinational provider in the gaming and fintech sectors, with over 21,000 files reportedly exfiltrated. The group has also targeted other high-profile victims, including Cornerstone Staffing Solutions, Spark Power, and Habib Bank AG Zurich, and is known to collaborate with other ransomware operations such as DragonForce and LockBit. Qilin, along with Akira and INC, accounted for 65% of ransomware attacks in Q3 2025, with a significant portion of these incidents facilitated by compromised VPN credentials. Ransomware activity has seen a marked increase globally, with leak posts rising by 11% over the previous quarter and a surge in attacks reported in October. Attackers are increasingly exploiting vulnerabilities in VPNs and external services, and the prevalence of zero-day vulnerabilities has also grown, with notable bugs affecting Citrix NetScaler, CrushFTP, and Microsoft SharePoint. Security experts recommend organizations implement multi-factor authentication and strengthen vulnerability management practices to mitigate the escalating ransomware threat landscape.
Jun 29, 2026
Ransomware attacks surged globally in the third quarter of 2025, with a 36% year-over-year increase in publicly disclosed incidents, according to BlackFog’s analysis. The number of attacks reached 270 in Q3 2025, compared to 198 in the same period of 2024, marking a 335% increase since Q3 2020. This escalation affected organizations in 93 countries, spanning critical sectors such as airlines, automotive manufacturers, and government entities. The Qilin ransomware group emerged as the most active threat actor during this period, being responsible for 20 incidents, including high-profile attacks like those on the Asahi Group. Notably, 54 ransomware groups were attributed to attacks in this quarter, with 18 new groups emerging, highlighting the fragmentation and volatility in the ransomware ecosystem. Among the newcomers, the Devman group made a significant impact, conducting 19 attacks across Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America, and was linked to a $91 million ransom demand. Law enforcement actions in 2024 and 2025, particularly against major operators like LockBit, contributed to the proliferation of new ransomware schemes, with 37 new groups appearing in the first half of 2025 and additional groups surfacing in July and August. Despite these disruptions, the overall volume of ransomware attacks remained high, with the number of victims posted to leak sites in July and August 2025 exceeding those from the same months in 2024. The attacks were more evenly distributed across multiple groups compared to previous years, indicating a shift in the operational landscape. The ransomware threat was not limited to large organizations; small businesses also suffered significant impacts, often lacking the resources to recover, as highlighted by personal accounts of business owners losing substantial revenue and savings. The persistence of legacy vulnerabilities and the absence of multi-factor authentication continued to facilitate successful attacks. Ransomware operators increasingly leveraged data exfiltration and extortion tactics, with a substantial portion of attacks involving the theft and public release of sensitive data. The emergence of new Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) platforms, such as Devman’s, further democratized access to ransomware tools, enabling affiliates to launch attacks with greater ease. The continued evolution of ransomware tactics, the rise of new groups, and the resilience of established actors underscore the ongoing challenge for organizations in defending against these threats. The global ransomware battlefield in Q3 2025 was marked by increased attack frequency, greater diversity of threat actors, and escalating financial and operational impacts on victims.
Jun 29, 2026
Ransomware and cyber-extortion activity rose again in Q2 2026, with industry reporting showing more than 2,250 publicly named victims across roughly 90 active groups and nearly 100 countries. GuidePoint Security’s GRIT report counted 2,279 victims, up 7% from the prior quarter and 43% year over year, while ReliaQuest recorded 2,252 victims and found the United States accounted for about 49% of observed activity. **Qilin** remained a leading force in one dataset for a fifth straight quarter, while **The Gentlemen** surged into the top tier and was ranked the most active group by ReliaQuest; **DragonForce** also remained prominent despite reported declines in some rankings. Professional, scientific, and technical services stayed the most targeted sector, and researchers noted a broader shift toward **data-only extortion** and continued pressure on organizations through public leak-site exposure. Researchers also highlighted technical changes in attacker tradecraft rather than a wholesale change in ransomware operations. The quarter saw increased use of **AI and LLMs** by threat actors, including analysis of exfiltrated databases and more tailored extortion messaging, alongside continued exploitation of high-impact vulnerabilities such as `CVE-2026-50751`, `CVE-2026-48027`, `CVE-2026-46817`, and `CVE-2026-35273`. ReliaQuest identified **Deadlock** as a notable re-emerging threat after 11 months of silence, using blockchain-hosted command-and-control through a Polygon smart contract and a **BYOVD** technique to terminate EDR tools via `CVE-2024-51324`. The reports say supply-chain compromise, remote access abuse, identity attacks, lateral movement, and defense evasion remain central to ransomware operations even as payment rates decline.
Jul 21, 2026