Beware the New AI-Fueled Ransomware Boom

Researchers say claimed ransomware incidents have spiked over recent months, with some estimates putting alleged attacks on leak sites at nearly 3,000 over the summer—a 20 to 40 percent increase since spring—and Halcyon's analysis counting around 111 ransomware groups making claims between July and September. Criminals appear to be using LLMs for tasks like crafting better phishing emails and negotiations rather than fully AI-powered attacks, while new smaller groups such as Global Secret Group and Storm have quickly claimed dozens of victims. Recorded Future's Allan Liska says attacks seen this year already dwarf the total for 2025, though attacks involving encryption may decrease year over year.