Trees are suffering one devastating epidemic after another, unleashed by insects and bacteria that enter the country because of global trade.

© Maddie McGarvey for The New York Times

Jonathan Franzen's novel The Corrections turned 25 this year (it was published right before Sept. 11). Here is a small collection of articles, including an overview, some critics revisiting the book [archive], a Gen Xer who asks Was this the last great American novel?, two interviews with Franzen, one in The New Yorker [archive], one in the Grauniad, and news of the (inevitable?) Netflix adaptation.

Related: How Jonathan Franzen became America's most divisive novelist [BBC] Jonathan Franzen: The Great American Misogynist [Medium, archive] Jonathan Franzen 'considered adopting Iraqi orphan to figure out young people' [Grauniad] A-and: Never forget [archive]

The first half of 2026 reinforced a familiar reality in ransomware: a small number of highly capable operators continue to drive a disproportionate share of global attacks. Among them, Qilin ransomware emerged as the most active threat group tracked by Cyble Research and Intelligence Labs (CRIL), demonstrating the scale and reach of today’s ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) ecosystem. CRIL observed Qilin targeting organizations across multiple regions and industries, with activity spanning North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, and other global markets. Its widespread campaigns highlight how modern ransomware groups leverage affiliate networks, purchased access, and proven extortion techniques to maintain sustained operational momentum.

Download the Cyble H1 2026 Cyber Threat Landscape Report for the full analysis.

Breaking Down the Qilin Ransomware Operation 

Qilin’s activity was particularly significant in North America, where the group accounted for 370 ransomware attacks during H1 2026. This represented nearly one-fifth of all ransomware incidents recorded in the region. The group also maintained a strong presence in Europe and the UK, claiming 158 attacks, while Asia-Pacific recorded 64 incidents linked to Qilin. In South America, the group was responsible for 40 attacks, further demonstrating its ability to operate across diverse geographic environments. Rather than concentrating on a single market, Qilin followed a broad targeting strategy designed to maximize opportunities across industries. 

Targeting Sectors Where Downtime Hurts Most 

Qilin’s victim profile reflected a common ransomware strategy: focusing on organizations where operational disruption creates immediate pressure.  Manufacturing organizations remain especially attractive because ransomware incidents can interrupt production lines and affect supply chains. Healthcare organizations face additional pressure due to the critical nature. Construction, Healthcare, and Professional Services were among the sectors most frequently targeted. These industries often depend on continuous availability, hold sensitive information, and face significant financial or regulatory consequences when systems are disrupted.  Manufacturing organizations remain especially attractive because ransomware incidents can interrupt production lines and affect supply chains. Healthcare organizations face additional pressure due to the critical nature of their services and the sensitivity of patient information.  Professional Services firms, including legal and consulting organizations, also represent valuable targets because they manage confidential client data that can increase the impact of double-extortion campaigns. 

The RaaS Model Behind Qilin’s Growth 

Qilin’s success reflects the maturity of the ransomware-as-a-service model. Instead of relying on a single internal team to handle every stage of an attack, RaaS groups operate through specialized ecosystems that include affiliates, initial access brokers, and other underground service providers.  This structure allows ransomware brands to expand quickly, launch simultaneous campaigns, and maintain activity even as individual operators face disruption. The continued success of groups like Qilin shows why ransomware remains difficult to contain. Law enforcement actions and infrastructure takedowns can affect individual operations, but decentralized affiliate models allow new campaigns to continue.

Defending Against the Qilin Threat 

The group’s activity reinforces several priorities for organizations: reducing exposed attack surfaces, strengthening identity controls, monitoring suspicious access activity, and preparing for data theft alongside encryption.  Since ransomware operators increasingly rely on stolen credentials and compromised infrastructure, security programs must focus on preventing initial access as much as responding to active attacks. 

To explore Qilin’s attack patterns, global ransomware trends, targeted industries, and the broader threat landscape observed in H1 2026, download the complete Cyble H1 2026 Cyber Threat Landscape Report. 

Insurance provider AssuranceAmerica has confirmed a data breach affecting the personal information and driver’s license numbers of up to 6.9 million people.

AssuranceAmerica provides car and rental insurance to customers across 14 US states through a network of over 9,500 independent agents.

TechCrunch reports:
“AssuranceAmerica said it discovered hackers in its computer systems on March 17. The company concluded its investigation on June 15, finding that the hackers had stolen customers’ names, contact information, and driver’s license numbers.“

The breach notice letter also mentions information about customers’ auto insurance policies and accounts, their drivers and vehicles, and details about customer claims. 

AssuranceAmerica has not yet released a public statement about the data breach. However, public breach notices and independent reporting indicate that the incident began with a targeted phishing attack against a single employee. An unauthorized third party accessed parts of the insurer’s IT systems and copied files containing customer policy information and driver’s license numbers. So far, no law‑enforcement or vendor report has publicly linked this activity to a specific threat group, ransomware operation, or nation‑state actor.

No public source has reported a ransom demand, negotiations, or payment, and AssuranceAmerica’s public filings are quiet about any contact with the attackers.

Protecting yourself after a data breach

There are some actions you can take if you are, or suspect you may have been, the victim of a data breach.

• Check the vendor’s advice. Every breach is different, so check with the vendor to find out what’s happened and follow any specific advice they offer.
• Change your password. You can make a stolen password useless to thieves by changing it. Choose a strong password that you don’t use for anything else. Better yet, let a password manager choose and store one for you.
• Enable two-factor authentication (2FA). If you can, use a FIDO2-compliant hardware key, laptop, or phone as your second factor. Some forms of 2FA can be phished just as easily as a password. 2FA that relies on a FIDO2 device can’t be phished.
• Watch out for impersonation scams. Criminals may contact you pretending to be the company. Check the company’s website to see how it is contacting affected customers, and verify anyone who contacts you using a different communication channel.
• Take your time. Phishing attacks often impersonate people or brands you know, and create a false sense of urgency with messages about missed deliveries, suspended accounts, or security alerts.
• Consider not storing your card details. It’s definitely more convenient to get sites to remember your card details for you, but we highly recommend not storing that information on websites.
• Set up identity monitoring. Identity monitoring alerts you if your personal information is found being traded illegally online and helps you recover if your identity is stolen.

Check your personal data exposure

You can check whether any of your personal information has been exposed using our Digital Footprint portal. Enter the email address you use most often and we’ll generate a free Digital Footprint report.