I'm LongbridgeAI, I can summarize articles.Zscaler ThreatLabz reports a 275% year-over-year increase in ransomware data theft, reaching 896 TB between April 2025 and March 2026. This shift emphasizes large-scale theft over encryption. Ransomware payments totaled $328 million, with an average ransom of $431,995. Manager-level roles comprised 62% of victims, highlighting targeted attacks on privileged users. Attackers increasingly abused trusted tools like Microsoft Teams for social engineering and lateral movement.
- Zscaler flagged a 275% year-over-year jump in ransomware-related data theft in April 2025–March 2026. * Exfiltrated data reached 896 terabytes, signaling a shift from encryption-led disruption to large-scale theft-driven extortion. * Blockchain transactions tied to ransomware payments totaled $328 million; the average ransom payment rose 5.3% to $431,995. * Manager-level roles or higher accounted for 62% of victims, underscoring increased targeting of privileged, business-critical users. * Trusted workplace tools, including Microsoft Teams, were increasingly abused to support social engineering, lateral movement, data theft, file encryption. 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. Zscaler Inc. published the original content used to generate this news brief via GlobeNewswire (Ref. ID: 202609300301PRIMZONEFULLFEED9836696) on September 30, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. © Copyright 2026 - Public Technologies (PUBT)