Ransomware ecosystem grows, but ‘four-headed monster’ dominates

Ransomware activity grew slightly between the first and second quarters of 2026 but significantly year over year, and there were more hacker groups active during April, May and June than in any previous quarter, researchers said on Thursday.

Cybercrime actors claimed breaches of 2,279 victims in Q2 2026, a 7% increase over Q1 2026 but a 43% year-over-year increase compared with Q2 2025, GuidePoint Security said in a quarterly report.

The Qilin ransomware gang led the quarter, accounting for 13% of attacks, but the relatively new group The Gentlemen has grown quickly and now accounts for almost as much activity, GuidePoint said.

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