This week's Risk Radar covers the French refrigeration cyberattack, another record Patch Tuesday, and a 61% rise in Q3 ransomware with triple extortion.
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Ransomware Up 61% in Q3, Microsoft Patches 1,411 Flaws, French Refrigeration Attack
Published:
October 19, 2026
Robert Kehoe, CTO at Smarttech247, is back with another Risk Radar. This week covers a cyberattack on refrigeration units in France, yet another record Patch Tuesday, and the latest ransomware figures for Q3.
Cyberattack on Refrigeration Units in France
This week saw one of the most shocking cybercrime attacks in recent memory. Attackers targeted refrigeration units in France and raised the temperature inside them to a reported 50 degrees, destroying all of the food stored inside.
It is a clear reminder for CISOs everywhere to consider their operational technology (OT). Which OT systems have direct internet access? Are all of them covered by your cybersecurity policies?
What to do: Identify every OT device with direct internet access, bring all OT technologies under your cybersecurity policies, and ensure they sit behind VPNs or firewalls.
Patch Tuesday Hits New Highs
Microsoft released yet another record Patch Tuesday this week. It is the fourth successive month that the record has been broken, with over 1,411 vulnerabilities patched in a single day.
This creates real challenges for organisations in testing, deploying and verifying so many changes. The trend is expected to continue, and not only with Microsoft. AI is helping defenders find vulnerabilities before attackers do, which is a good thing, but organisations need to be prepared for the extra maintenance that comes with it.
What to do: Allocate the resources your vulnerability management programme needs to test, deploy and verify patches at this volume, and plan for the same from other software vendors.
Q3 Ransomware Reports and Triple Extortion
Q3 reports are in, and they show ransomware continuing to expand. Over 2,627 separate ransomware attacks were recorded in Q3, an increase of more than 61% on last year. The finance and technology sectors were heavily affected, with both seeing an increase of around 70% compared with last year.
The hacker group known as The Gentlemen is now carrying out triple extortion. They target the victim company, and then target that company's customers to extort them after the original ransom has been paid.
What to do: Test your offline backups and, more importantly, your ability to restore from them. Ensure 24/7 detection and response, with particular focus on identity and on VPN access or any other external access gateways.
Stay safe, and share this with your team.
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Ransomware Up 61% in Q3, Microsoft Patches 1,411 Flaws, French Refrigeration Attack
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