UAE Ransomware Attacks in 2026
Ransomware groups claimed 31 organisations in the United Arab Emirates during 2026, which is 27.7% of all attributed UAE claims since 2020. DragonForce was the most active group in this period with 4 claimed organisations. Figures reflect leak-site monitoring as of 21 October 2026.
Data as of , drawn from 192 leak-site claims collected by ransomware.live. How this data is collected and filtered.
Which groups claim UAE organisations in 2026
All groups| Name | Relative volume | Incidents | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| DragonForce | 4 | 12.9% | |
| INC Ransom | 4 | 12.9% | |
| The Gentlemen | 4 | 12.9% | |
| Everest | 3 | 9.7% | |
| APT73 | 2 | 6.5% | |
| Stormous | 2 | 6.5% | |
| Auditteam | 1 | 3.2% | |
| Blacknevas | 1 | 3.2% | |
| Coinbase Cartel | 1 | 3.2% | |
| Handala | 1 | 3.2% | |
| Krybit | 1 | 3.2% | |
| Lamashtu | 1 | 3.2% | |
| Total (all rows) | 31 | 100% |
Showing the top 12 of 31 total.
Which sectors were hit in 2026
| Name | Relative volume | Incidents | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional Services | 5 | 16.1% | |
| Government and Defense | 1 | 3.2% | |
| Technology | 2 | 6.5% | |
| Financial Services | 4 | 12.9% | |
| Retail and E-Commerce | 3 | 9.7% | |
| Manufacturing | 2 | 6.5% | |
| Transportation | 4 | 12.9% | |
| Healthcare | 0 | 0% | |
| Energy and Utilities | 2 | 6.5% | |
| Hospitality | 4 | 12.9% | |
| Other | 2 | 6.5% | |
| Education | 2 | 6.5% | |
| Agriculture and Food Production | 0 | 0% | |
| Total | 31 | 100% |
2026 stands at 31 claimed UAE organisations with the year still running, against 35 for the whole of 2025.
2026 stands at 31 claimed UAE organisations so far
The partial year 2026 carries 27.7% of every attributed UAE claim on this tracker. The comparison that matters is with 2025, which closed at 35. This year sits 11.4% below that total with the year not yet complete.
The 2026 record spreads across eleven sectors
No sector dominates this year. Professional Services leads with 5 claims, followed by Financial Services with 4, Transportation with 4 and Hospitality with 4.
Below those, Retail and E-Commerce carries 3, while Technology, Manufacturing, Energy and Utilities, Other and Education carry 2 each. Government and Defense holds 1.
Eleven sectors inside a single partial year is the widest spread this tracker has recorded. Compare that against 2025, when the same breadth took twelve full months to appear.
What this means for UAE organisations
- Read the 31 as a floor rather than a total, because the year has not closed and claims arrive late.
- Do not read the gap against 2025 as a decline until the year completes.
- Note that Hospitality and Education reached 4 and 2 claims this year from nothing, so new sectors enter the record without warning.
- Plan around the spread rather than the leader, since the top sector holds 5 of 31 claims.
- Check the sector breakdown for where your own exposure sits, as sector persists while group names turn over.
A partial year invites the wrong comparison. Measure 2026 against the same point in 2025, not against the finished year. Otherwise the figure reads as a fall that the data does not support.
The groups behind this year differ from those behind 2025. Everest led 2025 with 6 claims and holds 3 here. INC Ransom reached 5 claims overall without appearing before November 2025.