North America leads global ransomware cases

Global ransomware incidents dipped 17% month on month in January, but threat levels remain consistent with last year's disruption, NCC Group warned, according to Security Brief United Kingdom.

In its latest report, NCC Group recorded 741 publicly disclosed attacks in January, close to the 696 logged in January 2025. Matt Hull said organizations should not "mistake the month-on-month drop for a decline in risk," noting patterns could signal another turbulent year. Qilin led activity with 108 attacks, or 17% of cases, despite a 36% decline from December, followed by Akira and Sinobi. Industrials were the most targeted sector at 32% of incidents, while North America accounted for 54% of global activity.

The report also flagged messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram as emerging entry points, citing scams involving device linking and malicious QR codes. Hull cautioned that evolving tactics and AI adoption are widening attack surfaces, increasing exposure for both enterprises and critical services.