In a troubling development, global ransomware attacks spiked dramatically in October — up 41% compared with September — reaching 594 known incidents. Automation.com+1 That surge, described as the start of the year’s “Golden Quarter,” comes just as consumer spending ramps up for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the holiday season.
For many organizations, this isn’t just a seasonal nuisance — it’s a clear warning. Cyber criminals are intensifying operations now to exploit higher traffic, increased transactions, and potentially more vulnerable systems. As they ramp up, so does the urgency for businesses to rethink how they defend themselves.
📈 The Numbers and Sectors Under Attack
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In October, global ransomware volume jumped to 594, a 41% month-on-month increase.
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Among sectors, industrials were hardest hit — 28% of all attacks. Retail/consumer discretionary and healthcare followed close behind.
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While North America and Europe bore the brunt (together representing 79% of attacks), Asia was not immune — representing around 9% of incidents.
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The rise isn’t just at the top: longtime players like Qilin remain active, but many new groups — or alliances — are also joining the fray.
In short: the threat landscape is becoming more crowded, more aggressive, and more unpredictable.
Why Traditional “Detect & Respond” Strategies Fall Short
Many companies still rely on detection-based defenses: antivirus tools, intrusion detection systems, and reactive incident response — hoping they will catch ransomware before it explodes across the network.
But what if ransomware strikes fast? Or takes advantage of a zero-day exploit? What if the first sign you see is already too late?
Reports from 2025 show that ransomware is increasingly shaped by “double-extortion” schemes, supply-chain vulnerabilities, and growing numbers of smaller, often under-the-radar attacker groups that slip past traditional defenses.
In this evolving reality, reactive defenses — “detect and respond — put the burden on your team to spot and react fast. That often means downtime, lost productivity, reputational damage — or worse.
What’s needed instead is a shift from reactive to proactive containment.
Isolation & Containment: The Better Approach
Rather than waiting for a suspicious behavior or alert, isolation-based protection assumes threats WILL arrive — and ensures they can’t spread.
With this model, an infected endpoint is automatically isolated, containing potential damage early — and keeping the rest of the organization safe. It’s not about hoping detection works; it’s about minimizing risk by design.
That’s where a proven solution like AppGuard — now commercially available through CHIPS — becomes critical. With a 10-year track record defending against advanced threats, AppGuard embodies the “isolation and containment” mindset. Rather than merely spotting threats, it prevents damage before it spreads.
Why Businesses Should Take Action Now
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Ransomware threats are accelerating rapidly — with spikes like the 41% increase in October becoming the “new normal.”
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Traditional defenses are too fragile — detection alone often comes too late.
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Isolation-first tools work proactively — stopping threats before they become business-crippling incidents.
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Your industry may already be at risk — industrials, healthcare, retail and more are frequent targets.
If you care about uninterrupted operations, data integrity, and reputational safety — reactive defense isn’t enough.
Take Control: Talk to CHIPS About AppGuard
If you’re a business leader or IT decision-maker wondering how to survive — and thrive — during this era of relentless ransomware attacks, now is the time to act.
Talk with us at CHIPS about deploying AppGuard — the proven, battle-tested endpoint protection platform that moves you from “detect and respond” to “isolate and contain.” Don’t wait for the next big spike. Protect your organization now, before it’s too late.
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