Ransomware attacks jump 29% to hit new quarterly high in Q3
The third quarter of 2026 made cybersecurity history, and not in a good way.
During the quarter, attacks recorded by the Comparitech ransomware tracker reached a record-breaking 2,627 ransomware attacks in total – an average of nearly 29 per day. This is a 29% increase from the prior quarter when Comparitech logged 2,030 ransomware attacks in total, and a 61% increase from the third quarter of 2025 when 1,636 attacks were recorded.
Specifically analyzing third quarter ransomware incidents involving retailers, Comparitech found that 199 ransomware attacks targeted the retail industry, up 29% from 154 in the previous quarter and almost double (97%) the 101 recorded in the same quarter of the prior year.
In the first six months of 2026, the Comparitech daily ransomware tracker logged 4,217 ransomware attacks, an 11% increase on the second half of 2025 (3,809).
[READ MORE: Retailers see sharp uptick in ransomware attacks]
Other quarterly findings
Of the 2,627 total ransomware attacks logged by Comparitech in the third quarter, 247 confirmed attacks (confirmed by the entity involved) and 2,380 were unconfirmed. Of the 247 confirmed attacks:
- 138 were on businesses (this category includes retailers).
- 53 were on government entities.
- 36 were on healthcare companies.
- 20 were on educational institutions.
- 1,611,971 records were compromised.
Of the 2,380 unconfirmed attacks:
- 2,096 were on businesses.
- 71 were on government entities.
- 152 were on healthcare companies.
- 55 were on educational institutions
Across all reported attacks:
- Median ransom demand was $150,000 (average: $602,400).
- Over 641 TB of data has been stolen across all these attacks.
- The U.S. saw the most attacks (1,066), followed by Germany (121) and Canada (103).
- Attacks in the US increased by 34% compared to the prior quarter, but some of the largest quarterly increases were seen in India (up 116%) and Argentina (up 150%).
"I'm often asked what I think lies ahead in the ransomware threat landscape, and it's notoriously difficult to predict,” Rebecca Moody, head of data research at Comparitech, said in commentary emailed to Chain Store Age. “Figures frequently fluctuate and a sector might see a bit of an increase one month, only to see a slight decrease the next month. However, the third quarter of 2026 is different. We're not seeing slight increases or decreases. We're seeing significant increases across all key sectors.”
