The GuidePoint Research and Intelligence Team (GRIT) recently released its GRIT 2026 Ransomware & Cyber Threat Report, which details some staggering new data from the prior year. The number of distinct named ransomware groups continues to rise year-over-year (YoY). There were a record-breaking 124 distinct named groups observed over the course of 2025, a 46% YoY increase from 2024.
While many groups remain fleeting, a handful of operators accounted for the majority of observed victims. Read on as we dive into the key groups, or download the full report here for even more details.
Qilin, a ransomware group which first appeared in 2024, rose to much greater prominence in 2025 by publicly claiming the highest number of victims. The group went from posting 154 victims in 2024 to 1,044 by the end of 2025. This jump made Qilin – by far – the most prolific ransomware group GRIT observed in 2025.
Qilin primarily employs double-extortion ransomware tactics, relying on both encryption and data extortion to coerce compliance from victims. Despite its high victim volume, Qilin is far from the most profitable. A substantial portion of victims do not comply with its ransom demands.
Akira, one of the longest-operating ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) groups, remained prolific in 2025. It was responsible for the second-highest number of observed victims last year. Akira demonstrated a propensity for exploiting zero-day and n-day vulnerabilities on perimeter devices, including mass exploitation of SonicWall SSL VPNs.
Clop, a data extortion group, eschewed ransomware deployment in favor of mass vulnerability exploitation campaigns targeting enterprise software platforms such as Cleo and Oracle E-Business Suite.
Established ransomware groups continued to account for the majority of observed victims in 2025, benefiting from experienced affiliates, economies of scale, and visible data leak sites.
In 2026, GRIT believes that fragmentation, rebranding, and affiliate migration will continue to shape the ransomware ecosystem.
To explore detailed threat actor profiles, vulnerability analysis, and learn what we expect to see in 2026, read the full GRIT 2026 Ransomware and Cyber Threat Report.