# Ransomware Trends: Who’s Being Targeted Now - Link: https://dbr-soft.com/ransomware-trends-whos-being-targeted-now/ - Published: 2026-10-24T19:10:47+00:00 - Author: David Botero Ransomware remains one of the costliest threats to business, and the pattern is changing. **The numbers** – **Volume is up.** One tracker counted about 5,257 ransomware incidents in the first half of 2026, around 20% more than in the first half of 2025. The second quarter was slightly below the first, but activity remained elevated. – **Payments are down.** Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis reported that ransomware operators received about $820 million in on-chain payments in 2025, a decline, even as nearly 8,000 victims appeared on leak sites. – **Ransom amounts are falling on average.** Sophos reported an average payment of about $1 million in 2025, roughly half the previous year’s figure. **What’s behind the shift** – **More victims refuse to pay,** helped by better backups and negotiation – **Attackers move toward volume,** hitting many smaller organizations instead of a few large ones – **Cheaper access:** Chainalysis found the average price for access to a victim fell sharply, from about $1,427 in early 2023 to about $439 in early 2026, as stolen- login pipelines and AI-assisted tools make break-ins cheaper – **Data theft extortion:** many groups steal data and threaten to publish it, even without encrypting anything **Who is targeted** – **Small and mid-sized businesses,** which often have weaker defenses. Verizon’s 2025 breach report found ransomware present in a large majority of SMB breaches. – **Manufacturing, healthcare, education, and professional services** – **Any organization with valuable data or costly downtime** **How to defend** 1. **MFA on everything,** especially email and remote access 2. **Patch quickly,** especially internet-facing systems 3. **EDR with 24/7 monitoring** 4. **Offline or immutable backups, and test restores** 5. **Limit admin accounts** and segment networks 6. **Train staff** to spot phishing 7. **Prepare and rehearse** your response plan **A realistic mindset** Lower payments don’t mean lower risk. They mean attackers are working faster and more broadly, so a small business is a more likely target than it was a few years ago. _Sources: [Sophos (The State of Ransomware 2026)](https://www.sophos.com/en-us/content/state-of-ransomware?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=mg-2026-na-all-demg-gog-bra-convr-edr-edr-search-broad-prod&utm_term=sophos%20edr&utm_content=na&cmp=701aJ00000jbMwJQAU&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23813931967&gbraid=0AAAAA901Nzl74hrdHyLnABneozc6v2qBg&gclid=Cj0KCQjwrvHWBhDKARIsABmp7h3jTyqoWEotoef7xnPGW-cGouwaMpYQe7DkYOsLq_okF70E7rnbohEaAt7YEALw_wcB), [Verizon DBIR 2025](https://www.verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir/), [Check Point (2026 Ransomware Stats)](https://www.checkpoint.com/lp/q2-ransomware-report-gsem?utm_campaign=dg_ps_26q3_amer_all_all-mix-cross-pillar-reports-ggl-page-lg_en-gsem&utm_source=google-dg&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=latest%20ransomware%20statistics&utm_content=198988169429&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=24024641207&gbraid=0AAAAADIBfpeijTbs4XhPmaOYi8hjfzmpS&gclid=Cj0KCQjwrvHWBhDKARIsABmp7h0u5aD8pt20uqiZOjp5oqZpiGdPyLq603-rvFmcYK5roUv4b4q-oz4aAjbbEALw_wcB)._ **DBR Soft provides ransomware readiness reviews and managed protection.** **[Contact us for more information.](https://dbr-soft.com/contact/)** * [⌊Massive Binance Breach: $6.3 Billion Drained in History’s Largest Crypto Heist⌉⌊ Massive Binance Breach: $6.3 Billion Drained in History’s Largest Crypto Heist⌉[ * [Cybersecurity](https://dbr-soft.com/category/cybersecurity/), [IT News](https://dbr-soft.com/category/it-news/) * ### 󠀁[Massive Binance Breach: $6.3 Billion Drained in History’s Largest Crypto Heist](https://dbr-soft.com/massive-binance-breach-6-3-billion-drained-in-historys-largest-crypto-heist/)󠁿 * Binance has halted all user withdrawals following a devastating “complex attack” that drained approximately $6.3… * [⌊David Botero Avatar⌉⌊David Botero Avatar⌉[ * [David Botero](https://dbr-soft.com/author/dave/) * Oct 30, 2026 * [⌊Epic Games Goes All-In on AI Acceleration for Fortnite and Unreal Engine 6⌉⌊ Epic Games Goes All-In on AI Acceleration for Fortnite and Unreal Engine 6⌉[ * [Artificial Intelligence](https://dbr-soft.com/category/artificial-intelligence/), [Gaming News](https://dbr-soft.com/category/gaming-news/), [Trends](https://dbr-soft.com/category/trends/) * ### 󠀁[Epic Games Goes All-In on AI Acceleration for Fortnite and Unreal Engine 6](https://dbr-soft.com/epic-games-goes-all-in-on-ai-acceleration-for-fortnite-and-unreal-engine-6/)󠁿 * CHICAGO — Epic Games is no longer just experimenting with artificial intelligence; they are rewriting… * [⌊David Botero Avatar⌉⌊David Botero Avatar⌉[ * [David Botero](https://dbr-soft.com/author/dave/) * Oct 30, 2026 * [⌊The Dawn of Optical Computing: How Akhetonics is Building the First All-Optical Processor⌉⌊The Dawn of Optical Computing: How Akhetonics is Building the First All-Optical Processor⌉[ * [Artificial Intelligence](https://dbr-soft.com/category/artificial-intelligence/), [Hardware](https://dbr-soft.com/category/hardware/), [Innovation](https://dbr-soft.com/category/innovation/) * ### 󠀁[The Dawn of Optical Computing: How Akhetonics is Building the First All-Optical Processor](https://dbr-soft.com/the-dawn-of-optical-computing-how-akhetonics-is-building-the-first-all-optical-processor/)󠁿 * As artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and massive data centers push the limits of modern technology,… * [⌊David Botero Avatar⌉⌊David Botero Avatar⌉[ * [David Botero](https://dbr-soft.com/author/dave/) * Oct 29, 2026 [View All](https://dbr-soft.com/ransomware-trends-whos-being-targeted-now/#extendify-blog)