Cyber-risk intelligence firm Black Kite reported 1,183 manufacturing-sector ransomware victims in the first seven months of 2026, a nearly 40% increase year-over-year, with attacks on the sector more than doubling since 2023. Manufacturing accounted for 22% of all 7,551 ransomware disclosures the firm tracked across all industries in the period.
The report found newer ransomware groups — including The Gentlemen, which alone claimed 142 manufacturing victims, along with Qilin, Akira, DragonForce and INC Ransom — have displaced the threat-actor groups that previously dominated the sector. Black Kite said 73% of attacks hit mid-market companies, with a median victim revenue of $42.9 million, and that European victim counts rose 85.4% year-over-year while the US share of global victims fell from 52.3% to 34.8%.
Why it matters
The shift toward mid-market manufacturers suggests attackers are increasingly targeting companies that may have less mature security operations than large enterprises but still enough revenue — and enough dependence on continuous production — to make ransom payment attractive.
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