October 2026 Cyber Threat Landscape: Record Ransomware, Rising GenAI Risk and an AI-Powered Newcomer

Organizations averaged 2,550 weekly cyber attacks in October 2026, down 9% month over month but up 32% year over year, according to Check Point's October 2026 Cyber Threat Landscape report. Education remained the most targeted sector at 5,934 weekly attacks per organization, a 33% year-over-year increase, and all 23 tracked sectors saw double-digit growth versus last year, with Europe recording the sharpest regional rise at 39% and Africa facing the highest volume at 3,834 weekly attacks per organization. Check Point also reported that one in every 35 enterprise GenAI prompts posed a high risk of sensitive data leakage, affecting 90% of organizations that regularly use GenAI tools.