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, critical services, finance, and healthcare. In total, 41% of recorded incidents occurred in the US; 29% in Europe, 14% in Asia, and 9% in South America.

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