Europe Evolves Into Ransomware's Favorite Region

Executive summary: Researchers report a sharp resurgence of ransomware-as-a-service activity in Europe during early 2026—Black Kite tracked 684 attacks through April, a 55% increase year-over-year—concentrated in major markets (UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain) with large increases in several smaller countries; manufacturing and digital services are primary targets and vendor/supply-chain compromises (e.g., the Miljödata breach affecting downstream municipalities and organizations) are amplifying impact, driving recommendations for greater visibility into fourth-/fifth-party vendor risk and proactive supplier risk ranking.