Ransomware Threats Moving Out to the Edge

Ransomware attacks are breaking records, and 2026 may be even worse, said Christiaan Beek, senior director of threat intel and analytics at Rapid7. More than 80 ransomware groups are hitting victims worldwide at the same time, overwhelming defenders and rapidly recovering from law enforcement takedowns with the profits they earn.

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Hackers are exploiting vulnerabilities as soon as they’re disclosed, and they’re focusing on flaws in devices on the network edge – where many organizations face challenges with patching, Beek said.

“I think what companies need to focus on is if they can’t patch this device, if they don’t have the time window to actually fix this quickly enough, what is my next in-line technology procedure that potentially can actually spot abuse or suspicious activity?” Beek said.

In this video interview with Information Security Media Group, Beek also discussed:

• The latest ransomware trends in Rapid7’s Q3 threat landscape report;
• Growing threats to edge devices and how to mitigate them;
• Ransomware hacking trends and the use artificial intelligence tools.

At Rapid7, Beek leads strategic research focusing on gathering threat data and inventing new research techniques. Beek has over 20 years of experience leading and contributing to cybersecurity research, intelligence gathering and data science, having previously worked at security firms including Trellix and McAfee.