AI is increasing ransomware effectiveness against ransomware-hit organizations
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A Proofpoint survey found AI is making ransomware more effective against ransomware-hit organizations, increasing the risk of successful phishing, impersonation, and credential theft. In a global survey published July 22, 2026, 65% of surveyed victims said AI increased attack effectiveness, and 40% said the initial lure looked legitimate enough that an employee did not suspect anything was wrong. A later Halcyon report published July 27 adds that EDR-kill has become standard across leading ransomware groups, including The Gentlemen, while some groups now use AI across the attack chain. Halcyon also said some attacks moved from initial breach to ransomware deployment in under an hour.
Related Happenings
Ransomware victim concentration remained dominated by the top five operations
Trend
H score44
First: 21.07.2026 16:00
Last: 21.07.2026 16:00
Sources 1
About this happening:
Ransomware victimization remained concentrated across March 2025 to March 2026, with 7,551 public disclosed victims and the top five operations responsible for 44%...
Ransomware victim concentration remained dominated by the top five operations
TrendAbout this happening: Ransomware victimization remained concentrated across March 2025 to March 2026, with 7,551 public disclosed victims and the top five operations responsible for 44%...
The Gentlemen ransomware gang's affiliate-driven rise to most-active RaaS operator
Threat Actor Meta
H score36
First: 17.07.2026 12:00
Last: 17.07.2026 12:00
Sources 1
About this happening:
The Gentlemen ransomware gang became the most-active ransomware-as-a-service operator over a three-month period, overtaking Qilin with 300 incidents. Its rise...
The Gentlemen ransomware gang's affiliate-driven rise to most-active RaaS operator
Threat Actor MetaAbout this happening: The Gentlemen ransomware gang became the most-active ransomware-as-a-service operator over a three-month period, overtaking Qilin with 300 incidents. Its rise...
The Gentlemen ransomware group’s 90/10 RaaS model and rapid victim growth
Threat Actor Meta
H score26
First: 10.06.2026 17:03
Last: 10.06.2026 17:03
Sources 1
About this happening:
The Gentlemen ransomware group has become a high-volume RaaS operation, using a 90/10 affiliate split to attract operators and expand its reach. The group now ranks as...
The Gentlemen ransomware group’s 90/10 RaaS model and rapid victim growth
Threat Actor MetaAbout this happening: The Gentlemen ransomware group has become a high-volume RaaS operation, using a 90/10 affiliate split to attract operators and expand its reach. The group now ranks as...
Pay2Key ransomware campaign accelerated by US-Iran tensions
Campaign
H score50
First: 26.03.2026 12:45
Last: 26.03.2026 12:45
Sources 1
About this happening:
Pay2Key's ransomware operation appears to have accelerated amid recent US-Iran tensions, indicating an active campaign with broader victimization risk. The group has been acti...
Pay2Key ransomware campaign accelerated by US-Iran tensions
CampaignAbout this happening: Pay2Key's ransomware operation appears to have accelerated amid recent US-Iran tensions, indicating an active campaign with broader victimization risk. The group has been acti...
The Gentlemen RaaS split exposed by hastalamuerte
Threat Actor Meta
H score25
First: 19.03.2026 18:00
Last: 19.03.2026 18:00
Sources 1
About this happening:
hastalamuerte exposed the internal workings of The Gentlemen ransomware group, revealing a Qilin-related RaaS split that shows how affiliate-driven ecosystems can rapi...
The Gentlemen RaaS split exposed by hastalamuerte
Threat Actor MetaAbout this happening: hastalamuerte exposed the internal workings of The Gentlemen ransomware group, revealing a Qilin-related RaaS split that shows how affiliate-driven ecosystems can rapi...
Latest development: 17.07.2026 12:00
ReliaQuest reported that The Gentlemen ransomware gang became the most active ransomware group over a three-month period, with 300 incidents and 1,368 victim claims tracked across 11 ransomware groups. The analysis said The Gentlemen overtook Qilin, which had 289 incidents, and linked the rise to aggressive affiliate recruitment, a pre-packaged intrusion kit, and AI-accelerated development.
Timeline
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23.07.2026 11:00 3 articles · 13d ago
AI boosts ransomware effectiveness across victim organizations
Technical Analysis UpdateProofpoint's 2026 AI-Era Ransomware Report says AI tooling is making ransomware attacks more effective by helping cybercriminals craft convincing phishing emails, impersonation attacks, and credential theft campaigns against organizations that have been hit by ransomware. The report says 65% of surveyed ransomware victims reported that AI increased attack effectiveness, while 40% said the initial lure looked legitimate enough that an employee did not suspect anything was wrong.
Show sources
- Two-Thirds of Ransomware Victims Say AI Boosted Attack Effectiveness — www.infosecurity-magazine.com — 23.07.2026 11:00
- Two-Thirds of Ransomware Victims Say AI Boosted Attack Effectiveness — www.infosecurity-magazine.com — 23.07.2026 11:00
- Ransomware Groups Increasingly Deploy EDR Kill Techniques — www.infosecurity-magazine.com — 27.07.2026 13:01