This page announces the Ransomware Trends Report for Q1 2026. It looks at how ransomware groups work as a structured criminal economy, which sectors they target, where victims are located, and what the report expects in Q2 2026. It also covers Ransomware-as-a-Service, double extortion and attacks on ESXi hypervisors.
Last checked against sources: October 10, 2026.
Key Findings of the Ransomware Trends Report Q1 2026
The report covers ransomware activity in the first quarter of 2026 (period ending April 7, 2026). It monitored 2,286 victim posts from 68 threat actor groups and confirmed 2,135 of them as incidents.
- According to the report, confirmed incidents rose 50.1% from 1,422 in Q4 2025 to 2,135 in Q1 2026, and active groups rose from 51 to 68.
- Qilin led with 363 victims (15.9%), followed by TheGentlemen (183) and Akira (177). The top three groups held 31.6% of victims.
- Manufacturing was the most targeted sector with 397 victims, followed by technology (364) and business services (219).
- The United States accounted for 1,084 victims (49.4%), far ahead of Germany and the United Kingdom (88 each).
- Monthly victim posts rose from 693 in January to 769 in February and 824 in March.
- The report says 11 major operators now deploy dedicated hypervisor (ESXi) encryptors.
The full PDF adds a quarter-over-quarter comparison and a forecast for Q2 2026. It also gives strategic recommendations by time frame, MITRE ATT&CK technique mapping and indicators of compromise for the five most active groups.
Ransomware Trends Report Q1 2026 Is Officially Live!
Ransomware Is Not Slowing Down. It’s Scaling.
If Q4 2025 was a warning, Q1 2026 is escalation.
Ransomware has evolved into a highly structured, rapidly expanding cybercrime economy — where attackers operate like businesses, scale like platforms, and target with precision.
The Brandefense Ransomware Trends Report Q1 2026 reveals what this evolution actually looks like in numbers:
- 2,135 confirmed ransomware incidents
- 68 active threat actor groups
- 50% quarter-over-quarter growth
- 2,135Confirmed ransomware incidentsSource: Brandefense Ransomware Trends Report Q1 2026
- 68Active threat actor groupsSource: Brandefense Ransomware Trends Report Q1 2026
- 50%Quarter-over-quarter growthSource: Brandefense Ransomware Trends Report Q1 2026
This is not a spike.
This is a trajectory.
How Are Ransomware Attackers Getting Smarter and Faster?
Today’s ransomware ecosystem is driven by Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) models.
Operators no longer execute attacks alone.
They build platforms. Affiliates execute at scale.
This shift changes everything:
- More attackers entering the ecosystem
- Faster attack cycles
- Higher operational efficiency
- Increased pressure on targets
At the same time, a small number of dominant groups — led by Qilin — continue to control a significant share of global activity, while emerging actors rapidly scale and compete.
This is not chaos.
It’s a functioning economy.
Which Sectors Do Ransomware Groups Target?
Ransomware groups are not just looking for vulnerabilities.
They are looking for pressure points.
In Q1 2026, attackers consistently prioritized:
- Manufacturing → operational downtime = immediate revenue loss
- Technology → access to data, infrastructure, and supply chains
- Business Services → leverage through client ecosystems
These are environments where disruption forces decisions.
And attackers know it.
Global Reach. Uneven Risk.
Nearly half of all ransomware victims are in the United States,
but the attack surface is expanding globally.
Threat actors are no longer limited by geography.
They are limited by visibility — and most organizations still lack it.
What Happens Next in Q2 2026?
The data points to one direction:
📈 More attacks
⚡ Faster execution
🎯 More precise targeting
Brandefense projects ransomware activity to exceed 2,200 confirmed incidents in Q2 2026, as affiliates scale operations and campaigns mature.
At the same time:
- Hypervisor-level attacks (ESXi) are becoming standard
- Double and triple extortion is now baseline
- Credential-based access is dominating initial entry
This Is No Longer Just a Security Problem
Ransomware is now an external risk visibility problem.
Attackers already know:
- Your exposed assets
- Your leaked credentials
- Your weakest entry points
The only question is:
Do you?