Many of the core elements of a ransomware attack haven’t changed. Attackers still phish victims, exploit vulnerabilities, or purchase valid credentials to gain initial access to a network. From there, they may spread to other systems, escalate their privileges, and export data.

How stolen identities, trusted tools, and compressed attack timelines are reshaping cyber defense

Fahmida Y. Rashid wrote a 20-year retrospective for Dark Reading (May 2026). If you sit on a board or approve security budgets, it's the clearest explanation I've seen in a long time of how we got here.

On July 13th, 2026, the DoW CIO released a statement mandating a pause in the Phase 2 rollout of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program, which was scheduled to go into effect on November 10th of 2026. Additionally, the article announced a 60-day review period of the program aimed at reducing red tape and barriers to entry for SMBs, along with a public Request for Information (RFI). Further public memos have been published outlining clarifications and implementation specifics for the statement, including outlines for interim actions for Department contractors and requirements for necessary contract revisions.