The Green Sheet Online Edition
February 23, 2026 • 26:02:02
News Briefs
Ransomware gangs expand insider recruitment to fuel growth <- click to read full story
Ransomware groups are increasingly operating like structured commercial enterprises, adopting formal recruitment tactics, incentive models and growth strategies, according to NCC Group's latest Cyber Threat Intelligence Report. The firm found ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) activity rose 13 percent month over month in December 2025, a period that often sees heightened attacks as organizations run leaner staffing models during the holidays. A notable shift is the growing focus on insider recruitment. Rather than relying solely on phishing campaigns or technical exploits, gangs are targeting employees, contractors and even cybersecurity professionals who already possess legitimate system credentials.
IT and technical staff are especially attractive targets, as a single compromised account can provide visibility across cloud environments, internal networks and identity management systems. Financial incentives, including commissions, profit-sharing arrangements and guarantees of anonymity are used to present participation as a low-risk, high-reward opportunity.
In one example, the Medusa gang attempted to recruit a BBC employee in September 2025, offering up to 25 percent of a future ransom payout in exchange for internal access. Separately, two cybersecurity professionals pleaded guilty in December 2025 to assisting BlackCat/ALPHV in attacks on U.S. healthcare and manufacturing organizations, marking one of the first documented cases of security practitioners directly supporting RaaS operations with their expertise.
The report highlights how ransomware groups now function much like businesses, with affiliate programs, branding strategies and structured revenue-sharing models. In December 2025, consumer discretionary companies accounted for 22 percent of attacks, while IT companies represented 10 percent. North America remained the most targeted region, responsible for roughly half of reported incidents. NCC Group said organizations must strengthen insider threat monitoring, access governance and offboarding controls, as human risk increasingly rivals technical vulnerabilities in today's threat landscape.
Crypto advancing at the point of sale <- click to read full story
Cryptocurrency payments are gaining traction at checkout counters, with 39 percent of merchants now accepting crypto at the POS, according to new research conducted by the Harris Poll on behalf of the National Cryptocurrency Association and PayPal. Researchers surveyed 619 payment decision-makers in October 2025 and found that 84 percent of merchants believe crypto will become commonplace within five years.
Customer demand is driving adoption. Nearly 88 percent of merchants reported customer inquiries about paying with crypto, and 69 percent said customers request it at least monthly. For many businesses in the survey, offering crypto is becoming a competitive differentiator rather than a novelty feature.
Among respondents already accepting crypto, digital assets account for 26 percent of total sales on average, and 72 percent reported year-over-year growth in crypto transactions. Large enterprises lead adoption, with 50 percent of companies generating more than $500 million annually from accepting crypto. Still, 34 percent of small businesses and 32 percent of midsize companies have also implemented it, signaling broad-based interest across segments.
Merchants cited faster transaction speeds (45 percent), new customer acquisition (45 percent), enhanced security (41 percent) and greater privacy (40 percent) as key benefits. Many also said they see crypto as a way to reach global customers and access funds more quickly. Interest skews younger. Merchants reported the strongest demand from millennials (77 percent) and Gen Z consumers (73 percent). Only 4 percent of baby boomers use crypto for payments. Hospitality and travel (81 percent), digital goods and gaming (76 percent), and retail and ecommerce (69 percent) show the highest acceptance rates.
Usability remains critical. Ninety percent of merchants said they would try crypto if it matched the ease of card payments, underscoring that simplicity and seamless integration may ultimately determine how quickly crypto becomes a mainstream payment option.
Socure launches SocureGov RiskOS amid escalating fraud threats <- click to read full story
As fraud against public sector programs accelerates and more government services shift online, agencies are under increasing pressure to verify identities quickly without adding friction for legitimate users. In response, Socure launched SocureGov RiskOS, a FedRAMP Moderate–authorized digital identity and fraud prevention platform built for federal, state, local and education agencies.
Fraud within the government sector has grown more complex with the rise of generative AI, which enables criminal networks to create synthetic identities and automate attacks across fragmented systems. Oversight bodies have estimated that fraud costs taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars annually, a figure expected to rise as digital-first delivery expands. SocureGov RiskOS consolidates identity proofing, fraud detection and program integrity into a single platform, Socure stated, adding that it supports the full lifecycle of constituent interactions, from onboarding and progressive verification to authentication, payments and account recovery. By centralizing these functions, Socure aims to help agencies detect fraud earlier while improving the user experience.
The platform features a single decisioning endpoint, configurable workflows and integrations with more than 180 third-party services, tailored to enable lean IT teams to adapt quickly to regulatory changes or evolving fraud tactics. It also emphasizes transparency, providing explainable decision outcomes to support audits, appeals and compliance reviews.
Recent federal guidance has called for stronger digital identity frameworks that balance security, privacy and accessibility. Programs such as unemployment insurance and disaster relief have been frequent fraud targets, highlighting the need for modernized controls. With FedRAMP authorization and AI-driven capabilities, Socure positions SocureGov RiskOS as foundational infrastructure for digital government functions.
ACH sets records in 2025 <- click to read full story
The ACH network delivered record growth in 2025, processing 35.2 billion payments, a 5 percent increase over 2024, while total value climbed 8 percent year over year to $93 trillion, according to Nacha. ACH debits accounted for 19.6 billion transactions totaling $31.7 trillion and commonly used for consumer payments such as mortgages, utilities, loan installments, subscriptions and memberships. Credits reached 15.6 billion transactions valued at $61.3 trillion, including payroll direct deposit, B2B vendor payments and person-to-person transfers.
Same-day ACH continued to accelerate. The network processed 1.4 billion same-day payments valued at $3.9 trillion, representing volume growth of 16.7 percent and value growth of 21.4 percent compared to 2024. On average, 5.8 million same-day payments were sent per operating day in 2025, with December reaching a daily average of 7.8 million. Overall, December was the busiest month, with 3.22 billion total payments, including 172.1 million same-day transactions. In November, the ACH set a record average of 151 million payments per day. The network operates Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays.
Business-to-business payments were a key growth driver, rising nearly 10 percent to 8.1 billion transactions. Healthcare claim payments from insurers to medical and dental providers totaled 548 million, up 7.3 percent year over year. Nacha highlighted the ongoing migration from checks to electronic payments, although checks remain prevalent. The Association for Financial Professionals reported that 75 percent of companies have no immediate plans to eliminate checks, despite 63 percent experiencing check fraud in 2024. Other categories also posted gains: internet payments increased 6.1 percent to 11.4 billion, direct deposit rose 1.7 percent to 8.7 billion, and P2P payments jumped 19.8 percent to 470 million transactions.
Deep freeze impacts store traffic in January <- click to read full story
A prolonged winter deep freeze weighed on small business performance in January 2026, as severe weather curtailed store traffic and consumers eased spending following a strong holiday season. Fiserv's Small Business Index, released Feb. 3, 2026, showed sales rose 0.7 percent year over year but declined 0.5 percent month over month, reflecting a customary post-holiday slowdown intensified by extreme weather.
In-store transactions bore the brunt of the pullback, with year-over-year in-store sales falling 2 percent, the steepest decline since mid-2022. Foot traffic slipped 0.8 percent month over month. The slowdown followed a robust end to 2025. Visa reported U.S. consumer spending increased 4.2 percent during a seven-week holiday period beginning Nov. 1, which aligns with National Retail Federation data.
However, Winter Storm Fern disrupted late-January activity. According to a Jan. 28 Fiserv special report, consumers stocked up on Jan. 23 ahead of snowfall and icy conditions, then largely stayed home through Jan. 26, dampening retail and restaurant activity. Restaurants were particularly affected. Overall restaurant sales fell 1.8 percent year over year, with foot traffic down 3.6 percent.
Limited-service establishments posted a 3.4 percent sales decline. Average ticket sizes rose 1.6 percent, partially offsetting lower volumes. Discretionary spending declined 0.4 percent year over year and 0.7 percent month over month.
Retail results were mixed. Core retail categories, including groceries, clothing and furniture, rose 1.5 percent year over year, while non-core retail, such as gas and building materials, declined 2.7 percent. Professional and administrative services saw pockets of strength, growing 1.1 percent month over month, aided by storm-related demand. Tax preparation services rose 9.3 percent year over year and 5.6 percent month over month.
The data underscores how weather and shifting consumer behavior continue to create uneven conditions for small businesses despite the broader digitization of payments. 
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