New Zscaler Report Reveals AI-Assisted Attackers Move to Massive Data Theft, Executive Targeting, and Millions in Extortion Payments

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  "detected_at": "2026-09-30T07:01:00+00:00",
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    "url": "https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/09/30/3371551/0/en/new-zscaler-report-reveals-ai-assisted-attackers-move-to-massive-data-theft-executive-targeting-and-millions-in-extortion-payments.html",
    "title": "New Zscaler Report Reveals AI-Assisted Attackers Move to Massive Data Theft, Executive Targeting, and Millions in Extortion Payments",
    "excerpt": "SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zscaler, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZS), the cybersecurity platform for the AI era, today released new findings from the Zscaler ThreatLabz 2026 Ransomware Report, showing that ransomware is on the rise, and is being aided by AI, increasing by more than 275% since last year, while costing companies more than $328 million in payments to hacking groups. Zscaler’s research revealed that nearly 900 terabytes of data – the equivalent to 90 times the print collection at the Library of Congress – were stolen over the course of a year. The AI-driven increase in ransomware is targeting nearly two-thirds of senior-level executives, and threat actors are increasingly using trusted workplace tools, including Microsoft Teams, to enable data theft and lateral movement within an organization’s environment. Key findings from the ThreatLabz 2026 Ransomware Report reveal: \"Successful ransomware extortion is shifting away from file encryption that often causes business disruptions to less visible, but more damaging data theft attacks,\" said Deepen Desai, Executive Vice President of Cybersecurity at Zscaler. \"They are using GenAI to speed up operations, and focusing on stealing more of an organization’s intellectual property, customer information, and other sensitive data to drive payment. Security teams need to stop these attacks early by reducing initial...",
    "product": "ThreatLabz 2026 Ransomware Report",
    "summary": "Zscaler released its ThreatLabz 2026 Ransomware Report, which found that AI-aided ransomware attacks have increased by more than 275% since last year.",
    "location": "San Jose, California, USA",
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        "state": "California",
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        "country": "United States",
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    "article_sentence": "Zscaler, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZS), the cybersecurity platform for the AI era, today released new findings from the Zscaler ThreatLabz 2026 Ransomware Report, showing that ransomware is on the rise, and is being aided by AI, increasing by more than 275% since last year, while costing companies more than $328 million in payments to hacking groups."
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