IR trends Q3 2026: Actors impersonate IT help desks in vishing attacks as ransomware activity increases
Phishing remained the leading initial access technique, while percentage of ransomware and pre-ransomware cases increased. Finance and public administration tied as the top-targeted industries.
IR Trends Q1 2026: Phishing reemerges as top initial access vector, as attacks targeting public administration persist
Phishing reemerged as the most observed means of gaining initial access, accounting for over a third of the engagements where initial access could be determined. Phishing has not been the top vertical for initial access since Q2 2025.
Velociraptor leveraged in ransomware attacks
Cisco Talos has confirmed that ransomware operators are leveraging Velociraptor, an open-source digital forensics and incident response (DFIR) tool.
Talos IR ransomware engagements and the significance of timeliness in incident response
The decision between immediate action and delayed response made the difference between ransomware prevention and complete encryption in these two real-world Talos IR engagements.
Unwrapping the emerging Interlock ransomware attack
Cisco Talos Incident Response (Talos IR) recently observed an attacker conducting big-game hunting and double extortion attacks using the relatively new Interlock ransomware.