Ransomware Competition Intensifies Amid Growth in Data-Theft Extortion

Nord Security reportedly counted 2,894 ransomware attacks in Q3 2026, up 50% year over year, with The Gentlemen and Qilin leading and competing for affiliates. Reporting points to growing data theft without encryption, while stolen passwords, missing MFA, and unpatched flaws remain familiar access paths; the figures are landscape context, not campaign-level IOCs.