Cybersecurity firm Black Fog has released its Q3 2025 State of Ransomware Report, which shows ransomware attacks have increased by 36% compared to the same quarter in 2024. Each month in the quarter saw an increase in attacks compared to the corresponding month last year, with July the worst month with a 50% increase. Over the whole quarter, 270 ransomware attacks were reported, although Black Fog notes that the majority of attacks remain in the shadows and go unreported. In Q3, an estimated 1,510 ransomware attacks were not disclosed, which represents a 21% increase from the previous quarter.
Healthcare remains a key target for ransomware groups, with the sector experiencing 86 attacks, which represents 32% of all disclosed attacks – more than twice as many ransomware attacks as were disclosed by entities in the next most attacked sectors, government and technology, which each had 28 disclosed incidents. Black Fog reports that 85% of ransomware attacks are not reported, and taking those attacks into account, manufacturing was the hardest hit sector, accounting for 22% of the 1,510 undisclosed attacks, followed closely by the services sector. Even with the HIPAA reporting requirements, healthcare ranked 5th for undisclosed incidents, which suggests that healthcare organizations are slow to investigate and report attacks. Law firms are increasingly being targeted, with the sector experiencing at least 79 attacks, the highest level since Black Fog started publishing ransomware reports in 2020.
Data theft almost always occurs with ransomware attacks, with some groups now abandoning encryption altogether. Black Fog reports that a new record was set in Q3 for data exfiltration, with 96% of attacks involving data theft. As reported by the Identity Theft Resource Center this month in its Q3 analysis of compromises, almost three-quarters (71%) of victim notifications do not mention the root cause of the attack, such as whether ransomware was used, which puts victims at a great risk of identity theft and fraud. Black Fog identified 449 victim listings on ransomware groups’ dark web data leak sites in Q3, 2025, with an average of 527.65 GB exfiltrated per victim. Black Fog CEO, Darren Williams, recommends that organizations should be more proactive at detecting the signs of data exfiltration by looking for unusual patterns in outbound traffic, anomalous MFA behaviors, and sudden file movement, as by the time files are encrypted, the damage from an attack is often irreversible.
The Qilin ransomware group retained its position as the most prolific ransomware group with 20 disclosed attacks (7%) and 242 undisclosed attacks (16%). INC Ransom ranked second with 18 (7%) disclosed attacks and 111 (7%) undisclosed attacks. Akira remains a highly active group with 139 (9%) undisclosed attacks. In Q3, a further 18 ransomware groups emerged, bringing the total number of active groups engaging in double extortion up to 80.
One notable newcomer is the Devman ransomware group, which has conducted 19 attacks in just a few months. The group stands out due to the high number of attacks for a new group, together with exorbitant ransom demands, including a $93 million ransom demand in the attack on the Chinese real estate firm, Shimao Group, which ranks as the largest ransom demand of the year.
“As ransomware volumes show a continued upward trend, the best option for organizations is to make it as hard as possible for cybercriminals to take advantage of them. That means protecting data so that they have no leverage for extortion and, critically, no incentive to return,” suggests Williams. That means improving monitoring and encrypting stored data.
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