Vishing

The most lucrative ransomware operation of the year never encrypted a single file. According to internal chat logs leaked this week and analyzed by blockchain forensics firm Crystal Intelligence, a cybercrime collective known as Silent Ransom Group — also tracked as Luna Moth — claims it collected roughly $207 million from 27 law firms between April and September 2026 using nothing more than phone calls, social engineering, and the threat of publishing stolen data.

A ransomware group calling itself Chaos announced on October 9, 2026 that it had exfiltrated 1,500 gigabytes of data from Astrana Health, Inc., a California-based physician-management company whose network supports roughly 20,000 affiliated medical providers. The group claims the theft followed Astrana's decision not to negotiate with the attackers, and says the stolen trove includes patient diagnoses and personal information.