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Ransomware Intelligence · 01/10/2026

Ransomware accelerates:
Another organization becomes a victim every hour

More than 1,000 ransomware victims were publicly listed in August 2026 alone. Beyond the ransom demand, the speed at which a business can lose control of its critical data is particularly concerning.

Analysis: TUNGTEKReferences: Tuoi Tre Online, Cyble, Check Point, SophosTopic: Ransomware Recovery · RFC
Illustration of businesses facing continuous ransomware attacks over time
Illustration of the increasing pressure ransomware’s speed and scale place on businesses. Image: TUNGTEK.
1.078ransomware incidents recorded by Cyble in August 2026.
1.034publicly listed victims — equivalent to approximately 1.39 victims per hour on average.
88active ransomware groups recorded over the same period.

On 30 September 2026, Tuoi Tre Online published “Ransomware attacks intensify: another organization is hit every hour”, citing data from the report The Ransomware Brief – Aug 2026 by Cyble Research and Intelligence Labs (CRIL).

According to Cyble, August 2026 recorded 1,078 ransomware attacks and 1,034 publicly listed victims, with 88 active groups. Attack volume rose approximately 25% from July, and approximately 101% between June and August.

The “one organization per hour” figure needs context. It is an average calculated from recorded and publicly listed victims/incidents. Intrusion time, encryption time and the time a victim’s name appears on a leak site may differ.

Ransomware goes beyond “encrypt files and demand money”

Modern ransomware often begins with exposed VPN/RDP accounts, stolen passwords, unpatched public-facing devices or a compromised workstation. After gaining a foothold, attackers can expand control, collect credentials and discover NAS, file servers, SQL Server, Hyper-V, VMware and backup systems.

Ransomware attack chain from a compromised account to affected servers and encrypted data
A typical chain can span initial access, lateral movement, exfiltration and data encryption. Image: TUNGTEK.

In many campaigns, data is copied out before encryption to enable double extortion. Cyble also observed growth in data theft, automated victim profiling and AI-assisted techniques.

Systems that cannot afford downtime become high-value targets

Manufacturing and professional services were among the heavily affected sectors in Cyble’s August data. Operationally, a failed workstation causes localized disruption, but a locked SQL Server, NAS, datastore or virtualization system can bring an entire business to a halt.

Illustration of ransomware affecting NAS, databases, virtualization servers and file servers
NAS/RAID, SQL databases, Hyper-V/VMware and file servers hold data with high operational value. Image: TUNGTEK.

Check Point Research recorded 2,139 victims on data leak sites in Q2 2026, broadly flat against Q1 but up 33% year over year. In a survey of 2,158 organizations across 17 countries, Sophos reported successful data encryption in 56% of ransomware incidents in the sample, with average recovery costs of USD 1.7 million excluding ransom payments.

After ransomware, “the file exists” does not mean “the data survives”

An MDF, VHDX, VMDK, XLSX, PDF or archive file may retain its size while its internal structure has changed. Conversely, a partially encrypted file may still contain valuable data.

Depending on the ransomware mechanism, file structure and write behavior, unaffected content may remain. In databases, virtual machines and complex formats, usable data regions may be interleaved with altered regions.

Recovery prospects should not be judged solely by the extension ransomware appends to a filename.

Examine the binary structure, entropy, headers, page/block structure, encrypted regions, overwrite extent and original storage device condition.

Illustration of encrypted file structure analysis and extraction of surviving data
Structural analysis identifies intact data beyond filenames or extensions. Image: TUNGTEK.

Avoid rushing to modify original data

One of the most dangerous mistakes after ransomware is continued experimentation directly on original drives or data. Formatting volumes, rebuilding RAID, creating a new VM on the old datastore, copying new data to a NAS or directly repairing a database can destroy additional recoverable regions.

1
Isolate systemsLimit continued encryption, lateral movement or exfiltration.
2
Preserve the data sourcePrioritize preservation of original devices, volumes, files and related metadata.
3
Create a working copyAnalyze and test on copies where technical conditions permit.
4
Assess before recoveryIdentify the family/IOCs, impact scope, backups and extraction prospects.

RFC — Ransomware Fast Check before choosing a recovery approach

At CuuDuLieuMaHoa.com by TUNGTEK, RFC provides a rapid assessment when businesses need to understand the actual condition of their data after ransomware.

RFC goes beyond naming the ransomware. Its central question is:

Which parts of the remaining data can potentially be extracted and used?

Representative samples can be examined for structure, entropy, encryption patterns, altered regions and intact content. This is particularly relevant to SQL Server MDF/LDF, NAS/RAID, Hyper-V VHDX, VMware VMDK/datastores, file servers and business data.

No key does not necessarily mean no data remains

A trustworthy decryptor or valid recovery key should be prioritized for assessment where available. Without a key, however, the analysis is not necessarily over.

Another approach is extracting surviving valuable data from affected files or devices, rather than waiting solely for a tool that can “unlock everything”.

This is why TUNGTEK uses the term encrypted data extraction: the goal is to recover as much genuinely usable data as possible while preserving the original source.

Infographic summarizing accelerating ransomware and the data response process
A quick summary of the article’s key points. Design: TUNGTEK.

An hour of downtime can cost far more than prevention

Businesses should prepare for a practical question beyond “will we be attacked?”: if our systems are encrypted tonight, what could we restore from tomorrow?

MFA, patching public-facing services, network segmentation, privileged account protection, independent backups and restoration testing remain essential. Incident response also needs to prepare for the worst case: ransomware has passed the defenses and critical data is actually affected.

Ransomware Recovery · RFC · Data Extraction

CuuDuLieuMaHoa.com by TUNGTEK

When ransomware affects NAS, RAID, SQL databases, Hyper-V, VMware, file servers or operational data, the first priority is to preserve the source and assess before intervention.

TUNGTEK focuses on technical analysis and extracting surviving valuable data from encrypted systems.

CuuDuLieuMaHoa.com Zalo / Hotline: 0963 509 115

References

  1. Tuoi Tre Online, 30 September 2026 — “Ransomware attacks intensify: another organization is hit every hour”.
  2. Cyble Research & Intelligence Labs — The Ransomware Brief, Aug 2026.
  3. Check Point Research — The State of Ransomware, Q2 2026.
  4. Sophos — The State of Ransomware 2026.