July was the worst month for ransomware victim claims in 2026 - or was it?

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ZDNET's key takeaways

• Ransomware activity hit a year-to-date high of 894 victim organization listings in July.
• The Gentleman, new ransomware groups, and agentic AI are responsible.
• However, cybercriminal egos might be inflating the numbers.

New NCC Group research says that July 2026 saw a spike in ransomware activity, with a year-to-date record of 894 victim listings recorded in the month alone. But what's actually behind it?

Also: Why this fully agentic ransomware attack is giving researchers nightmares

According to NCC Group's July threat advisory report, published on Wednesday, global ransomware attacks increased by 22% in July 2026, compared to June 2026. This was also when the first incident of a fully agentic AI ransomware attack chain was also recorded.

Almost a third of attacks were launched against the industrial sector. Other popular targets were consumer services and technology,...

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