Power Rankings: Ransomware Malicious Quartile First-Half 2023

**Executive summary:** The report summarizes ransomware trends in H1 2023, noting over 2,300 victims and a 74% increase in Q2, with three operators (LockBit, BlackCat/ALPHV, Cl0p) responsible for the majority of incidents; it highlights growing sophistication (new tooling, evasion), expansion to Linux and macOS, increased data exfiltration before encryption, and limited law-enforcement impact compounded by geopolitical complexities.