UK Cybercrime Journal: Qilin Ransomware Rampage in H1 2026

What Happened

Throughout H1 2026, the Qilin ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) Tor data leak site (DLS) listed the most UK-based victims out of all ransomware gangs, with up to 37 British organisations hit in total. Qilin's victim count is followed by DragonForce with 21 victims listed, and TheGentlemen with 18 listed.
The fallout from the Qilin attack on the UK National Health Service (NHS) supplier, Synnovis, in 2024 persists as well. On 1 June 2026, the Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust disclosed that over 32,000 patient data records related to Synnovis tests were exfiltrated and took over a year to analyse what information was related to which patient. The breached data includes patient name and number, date of birth, postcode, and test results.
In H1 2026, Qilin averaged between seven and nine published UK victims per month. For the entries listing an estimated attack date, there was a roughly six-week extortion lifecycle on average, from initial intrusion to the date the victim is publicly named.
This UK footprint highlights their aggressive pursuit of Small-to-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as most organisations had a revenue between £10m and £250m.
Interestingly, one of the Qilin victims, Salford City College, also appeared on both the Qilin and DragonForce Tor data leak site (DLS) only a few days apart from 6 March to 10 March 2026, respectively.

Qilin’s UK-based victims from H1 2026 spanned a diverse range of sectors:

Construction & Property Development
Manufacturing & Engineering
Legal & Professional Services
Technology & IT Infrastructure
Education
Healthcare

Analyst Comment

Many of the organisations targeted by Qilin operators are just large enough to have the funds to pay mid-tier ransoms but often never got around to making an investment into a 24/7 dedicated threat detection service, such as an outsourced Security Operations Centre (SOC). Such services are usually enough protection to prevent an attack. If a ransomware affiliate faces tough resistance from a target, they often move on to a weaker and easier one.

One key face to also note about Tor data leak sites operated by ransomware groups is that they include victims who failed to pay the ransom. The total number of victims by each group is often going to be higher.

The reason for the cross-posting of Salford City College is unknown for now. However, it could indicate that an affiliate may be using both Qilin and DragonForce RaaS platforms. An alternative theory could be that the college was hit by two affiliates of each RaaS. Interestingly, cross-posting on multiple leak sites is not as uncommon as it seems. Some victims listed on the Qilin leak site have historically appeared on the leak sites of ALPHV/BlackCat and Conti as well.

The Ransomware Vulnerability Matrix Group Profile for Qilin reveals a diverse set of exploits leveraged by its operators. Like many other ransomware gangs, Qilin operators have exploited corporate VPN gateways such as Fortinet, Check Point, and WatchGuard for initial access. Interestingly, the exploitation of SmarterTools SmarterMail and SolarWinds Web Help Desk is less common but are also exploited by the Warlock ransomware gang. Another common theme from Qilin's Ransomware Tool Matrix Group Profile is their regular abuse of Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) tactics to bypass Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) and Antivirus software.

Defensive Takeaways

Harden Common Attack Paths: Treat any web-facing helpdesk or mail server as a high-risk device. If it does not absolutely require open internet access, place it behind a zero-trust network access gateway or a strict VPN. Enforce strict phishing-resistant Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on all remote access points. Ensure processes are in place for rapid patching and integrity checks for all corporate VPN gateways.
Overcoming SME Resource Caps: Organisations must bridge the gap with an outsourced MDR service. Ransomware execution routinely happens at 2:00 AM on Fridays and weekends. Outdated antivirus agents alone are not enough to stop a motivated human adversary.
Utilise Free Support Services: Capitalise on sovereign and community-vetted threat intelligence feeds to block attacker infrastructure early. UK defenders should actively enroll in the National Cyber Security Centre’s MyNCSC portal and integrate community resources like the Spamhaus DROP list and Abuse.ch tracking into their perimeter firewalls to automatically block known ransomware command-and-control (C2) nodes. ShadowServer and Team Cymru also offer useful free community resources.

Relevant Sources

Relevant CTI Sources

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