Global cyberattacks rise in January 2026 as ransomware activity increases and GenAI-driven data exposure expands
Recorded Future 2026 State of Security Report warns cyberoperations have become a core tool of global power
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Global cyberattacks rise in January 2026 as ransomware activity increases and GenAI-driven data exposure expands
heck Point Research, the threat intelligence arm of Check Point
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Software Technologies, has released its Global Threat Intelligence insights for January 2026, revealing organisations worldwide faced an average of 2,090 cyberattacks per week, a 3 % increase month-on-month and 17 % year-on-year.
Africa recorded an average of 2,864 attacks per organisation per week, down 6 % YoY. Nigeria experienced the highest volume at 4,701 weekly attacks per organisation, up 12 % YoY, followed by Angola with 4,512. Kenya recorded 2,172 attacks, down 41 % YoY, while South Africa saw 2,145 attacks per week, up 36 % YoY. Government, financial services and consumer goods and services were the most targeted sectors.
Ian van Rensburg, Head Security Engineering Africa at Check Point Software Technologies, said:“ January’ s data shows that cyberattacks are not only increasing but becoming more refined and opportunistic.”
The report highlights growing risks linked to Generative AI usage, with one in every 30 GenAI prompts posing a significant data exposure risk, affecting 93 % of organisations using such tools. Education remained the most targeted sector globally, followed by government and telecommunications.
Ransomware incidents rose 10 % year-on-year to 678 cases, with North America accounting for 52 % of reported attacks. Leading ransomware groups included Qilin, LockBit and Akira.
Recorded Future 2026 State of Security Report warns cyberoperations have become a core tool of global power
R ecorded Future has released its 2026 State of Security Report, showing that cyberoperations are now inseparable from physical conflict, coercion and espionage.
The report emphasises that geopolitical fragmentation and the adoption of AI are creating an environment of instability, with persistent attacks becoming the norm in the global threat landscape.
Dr Christopher Ahlberg, Co-Founder of Recorded Future, shared the key findings and highlighted how cyberoperations, intelligence and emerging technologies are reshaping geopolitical competition and national security during a panel discussion at the Munich Cyber Security Conference.
The State of Security Report identifies 2025 as a clear inflection point in which cyberactivity became tightly intertwined with real-world geopolitical outcomes. The report finds that AI is contributing to this convergence by accelerating the scale of deception, identity abuse and uncertainty faster than institutions can adapt – contributing to heightened instability in 2026.
“ Uncertainty is no longer episodic – it’ s the operating environment,” said Levi Gundert, Chief Security and Intelligence Officer, Recorded Future.“ As geopolitical norms weaken, state objectives, criminal capability and private-sector technology are increasingly reinforcing one another, compressing warning timelines and expanding plausible deniability. AI is accelerating that dynamic not through autonomous attacks, but by scaling deception and eroding trust inside decision-making processes. In 2026, cyber-risk will be defined less by singular events and more by persistent, fragmented pressure that reshapes competition, escalation and stability over time.”
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