Ransomware attacks involving data theft have surged by 275% in 2026, according to a new report from Zscaler. Attackers exfiltrated more than 896.2 terabytes of data from victim organizations, more than seven times the amount stolen during the 2023–2024 reporting period.
“Ransomware groups are exfiltrating more data to strengthen their extortion leverage,” the report says. “The more sensitive and operationally important information attackers possess, the greater the potential business, reputational, and legal consequences of its public release. During ransom negotiations, threat actors often cite the potential legal and regulatory requirements of the incident, including those related to HIPAA, SEC disclosure rules, and GDPR, to intensify pressure.”
Attackers are increasingly targeting higher-level employees to gain initial access, using social engineering to obtain a foothold within the organization.
“Most victims (62%) in these campaigns held managerial titles or above,” the researchers write. “These roles often span departments, approvals, customer and partner communications, and a vast ecosystem of business applications. For attackers, that can translate into far-reaching visibility and access across the organization. Their accounts may also carry something attackers can exploit just as effectively as technical privilege: trust. A request, file, or message coming from a manager may appear inherently credible, creating opportunities to gather additional information or extend an intrusion further into the organization.”
These attacks are also leveraging generative AI to dramatically increase their sophistication.
“GenAI can lend a hand at nearly every turn: sharpening reconnaissance, personalizing social engineering and phishing, generating malware code, building automated scripts, and analyzing stolen data,” Zscaler says. “These capabilities help give attackers a better read on their targets and help them accelerate or adapt their tactics after compromise.”
Zscaler has the story: https://www.zscaler.com/blogs/product-insights/ransomware-data-theft-surged-275-2026-schools-hospitals-and-government
