Semperis Says AI Fueled 84% of Ransomware Attacks as Inglis Warns of Autonomous Strikes

Semperis's 2026 Ransomware Risk Report finds AI was exploited in ransomware attacks against 84% of surveyed victims, with 44% saying attackers abused their own AI systems. The firm polled 1,200 IT and security professionals across nine countries. Former White House National Cyber Director Chris Inglis, a Semperis board member, says autonomous ransomware attacks are already happening.

• Semperis reports 69% of surveyed ransomware victims face multiple successful attacks within the previous year.
• Courtney Guss, Semperis associate vice president of crisis management, says AI agents pursue extra permissions by compromising identity systems.
• Tomer Bar of Semperis says law enforcement will face harder attribution as attackers test malicious code using large language models.