AI‑Powered Ransomware To Explode In 2026 After Brief 2025 Slowdown, Say Security Experts

January 16, 2026 – Published on MES Computing

Ransomware attacks ramped up in December 2025 with no signs of abating in 2026.

In the beginning of last year, several security researchers took notice that ransomware attack levels had somewhat normalized throughout the first quarter to the third quarter in 2025.

The number of those victimized by ransomware decreased during that period, according to an October 2025 report from GuidePoint Security.

However, GuidePoint’s Research and Intelligence Team Thursday released its new findings on ransomware for 2026.

The researchers found that although 2025 began as a “somewhat average” year for ransomware growth, by the end of December ransomware attacks “shattered” all records and there was a 58 percent year-over-year increase in the number of observed ransomware victims.

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