Ransomware Moves up the Org Chart: Managers Are Prime Targets
Zscaler, Thursday, August 6th, 2026
Zscaler finds 62% of ransomware campaign victims held manager-level titles or higher.
Zscaler analysis of a ransomware campaign identified 351 victims across 334 organizations. Of those, 62% held manager-level titles or higher, indicating deliberate targeting rather than opportunistic spread.
Roughly 75% worked in accounting, finance, sales, operations, HR, or marketing rather than technical roles.
The pattern suggests attackers are pursuing business access and authority rather than administrative privileges.