Cognyte report flags 27.3% jump in ransomware victims in 2025

• Cognyte released LUMINAR 2026 Annual Threat Report, flagging AI-driven cyber operations as key accelerator of ransomware, credential theft, vulnerability exploitation.
• Ransomware groups claimed 7,809 victims in 2025, up 27.3% year over year; total payments fell 23% as attackers shifted toward small and medium-sized businesses.
• AI automated up to 80%-90% of one nation-state espionage campaign in 2025; AI-generated phishing content accounted for 82.6% of output in that activity.
• Vulnerability disclosures reached nearly 50,000 in 2025 with average CVSS 6.6; Linux kernel led with 2,257 reported vulnerabilities.
• Stolen credentials tied to 22% of data breaches in 2025; dark web sales ads fell about 50% to about 7 million, with Lumma infostealer linked to 2.2 million listings.

Disclaimer: This news brief was created by Public Technologies (PUBT) using generative artificial intelligence. While PUBT strives to provide accurate and timely information, this AI-generated content is for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as financial, investment, or legal advice. Cognyte Software Ltd. published the original content used to generate this news brief via Business Wire (Ref. ID: 20260421190857) on April 21, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained therein.