# Ransomware Threats Drive Agency Security Demand

Zscaler ThreatLabz reports that ransomware data exfiltration rose 275.8% year over year to 896.2 terabytes in 2026. Government, healthcare, and education organizations faced some of the largest claimed thefts even as attack activity in those sectors declined. The report identifies no specific solicitation or award, but its findings point to sustained public-sector demand for capabilities that limit unauthorized access and data loss and support incident response.

- Procurement teams can use the findings when evaluating cybersecurity needs for zero-trust access controls, data-loss prevention, encrypted-traffic inspection, and incident-response capabilities.
- Contractors serving government, healthcare, and education buyers can align relevant offerings to these documented risk areas; the signal does not identify a specific procurement opportunity or deadline.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Information Technology, Healthcare
**Topics:** Cybersecurity
**Published:** October 01, 2026

### Sources
- [Ransomware Data Theft Surged 275% in 2026: Schools, Hospitals, and Government Agencies Had Some of the Largest Claims - Security Boulevard](https://securityboulevard.com/2026/10/ransomware-data-theft-surged-275-in-2026-schools-hospitals-and-government-agencies-had-some-of-the-largest-claims) - Security Boulevard