Ransomware continues to test business resilience — and in 2025, the conversation has shifted from the rise in attacks to the constant evolution of this threat
Today, attackers are refining their tactics, organizations are adjusting their response strategies, and the ransomware business model is changing—directly impacting decision-making by business leaders and cybersecurity professionals.
The 2025 ransomware statistics reveal a landscape where the threat is tied to structural vulnerabilities. But they also show a key shift: more companies are recovering faster and choosing not to pay ransoms.
At TecnetOne, we’ve analyzed the key ransomware statistics of 2025 to offer a clear view of the current landscape, support risk management, and anticipate the trends that will define the future of ransomware.
Ransomware Is a Global Threat — But Its Impact Is Not Uniform
Ransomware has become a widespread threat affecting organizations of all sizes, sectors, and regions. However, its impact is not evenly distributed, and certain types of companies continue to be more vulnerable than others.
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According to Verizon’s 2025 DBIR, ransomware was present in 44% of the security breaches analyzed—up from 32% the previous year. This rise confirms its role as a primary cause of incidents, not just a secondary malicious payload.
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In larger organizations, ransomware was a factor in 39% of breaches, showing that even environments with mature security programs still struggle to contain extortion-based attacks.
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The impact is significantly higher in small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), where ransomware appeared in 88% of incidents. A lack of resources, weaker controls, and slower patching cycles continue to make these organizations prime targets.
Ransom Payments Are Declining as More Companies Refuse to Pay
One of the most notable changes in 2025 is not just technological, but strategic. More and more organizations are choosing not to fund attackers, reshaping the economics of ransomware.
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The average ransom payment dropped to $115,000—down from $150,000 the previous year—reflecting a reduced effectiveness of traditional extortion tactics.
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64% of affected organizations chose not to pay the ransom, compared to just 50% two years ago. This clearly points to a growing focus on resilience and recovery.
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IBM’s 2025 study confirms this trend: 63% of companies refused to pay, while 37% ended up paying—making refusal the dominant response.
Taken together, these figures suggest attackers are facing lower success rates and diminishing returns, forcing them to ramp up pressure, diversify their tactics, or focus on higher-value strategic targets.
The True Cost of Ransomware Goes Far Beyond Paying the Ransom
Although more organizations are choosing not to pay attackers, ransomware incidents remain costly, disruptive, and operationally demanding, impacting multiple areas of the business.
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According to IBM, the average cost of a ransomware or extortion incident reached $5.08 million when the attack was disclosed by the attackers themselves. This figure includes forensic investigation, downtime, legal exposure, and reputational damage
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In the United States, average insurance claims for ransomware rose by 68%, reaching $353,000—reflecting sustained growth in recovery and remediation costs for affected organizations
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According to Sophos, the average cost of recovery (excluding ransom payments) was $1.53 million, down 44% from the previous year. While recovery is becoming more efficient, it still represents a significant financial impact
These figures confirm that ransomware is no longer just about whether to pay or not—it's about business continuity, regulatory compliance, and the long-term trust of customers, partners, and stakeholders.
Read more: Ransomware 2025: Threats, Costs, and How to Defend Your Business
Encryption Loses Ground as Data Theft Becomes the New Standard
Ransomware groups are adjusting their strategies to maximize impact. Instead of relying solely on encryption, many modern attacks now combine multiple extortion tactics—or even skip traditional encryption altogether.
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Data encryption was present in only 50% of ransomware attacks—the lowest level in six years and a sharp drop from 70% in 2024—clearly reflecting a shift in attacker tactics
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Among organizations that did experience encryption, 28% also suffered data exfiltration, increasing pressure through double extortion schemes that combine operational disruption with reputational damage
Despite this, 97% of companies with encrypted data were able to recover it successfully through some method, showing continued improvement in resilience, recovery planning, and operational maturity.
While encryption is losing prominence as the primary tactic, data exposure, public shaming, and multi-layered extortion remain core elements in today’s ransomware strategies.
Early Detection Becomes Critical in the Face of Data-Based Extortion
As ransomware groups increasingly prioritize information theft and public exposure, early detection of extortion signals becomes a key factor in minimizing the impact of an incident.
Proactive monitoring of leak sites, underground forums, and Dark Web marketplaces helps identify breach announcements, publication threats, and active negotiations before the damage becomes irreversible.
Solutions like TecnetOne’s cyber patrol services enable companies to anticipate threats, accelerate incident response, coordinate legal actions, and make informed decisions in high-pressure scenarios.
Recovery Is Faster, but Backups Are Used Less Frequently
Companies are managing to resume operations more quickly, even as attackers ramp up pressure and increase demands during ransomware incidents.
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According to Sophos 2025, 53% of victims fully recovered within a week—up from 35% in 2024—clearly reflecting improvements in response processes and business continuity
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Backups were used in only 54% of incidents to restore encrypted data—the lowest rate in six years—suggesting a growing reliance on alternative recovery methods
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Despite high recovery rates, 49% of victims still paid to regain access to their data, highlighting the intense operational, financial, and reputational pressure attackers exert during an active incident
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These figures show clear progress in ransomware response maturity, but also underscore the intense stress involved in making critical decisions during real and prolonged crises
Read more: Ransomware in Mexico: Impact on IT and How to Prevent It
Ransom Demands vs. Payments: The Gap Continues to Widen in 2025
The negotiation dynamic continues to evolve as more organizations resist paying and attackers adjust their financial expectations.
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Only 29% of victims paid the exact amount initially demanded, while 53% paid less and 18% ended up paying more—typically due to prolonged downtime or heightened risk of data exposure
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The average ransom demand dropped to $1,324,439—a 34% year-over-year decrease—while the average payment fell to $1 million, representing a 50% reduction
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Payments of $5 million or more declined to 20%, down from 31% in 2024. Still, 57% of demands and 52% of payments exceeded $1 million, according to Sophos 2025
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Although attackers are demanding less on average, high-value extortion remains common, particularly against large organizations with high operational dependence and significant reputational exposure
Initial Access Techniques Continue to Evolve
The methods attackers use to gain initial access are constantly changing as defenses improve and criminal tactics adapt.
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Exploited vulnerabilities were the most common root cause, accounting for 32% of ransomware attacks—making them the top initial entry vector.
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Compromised credentials accounted for 23% of attacks, down from 29% in 2024, while malicious email reached 19%.
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Phishing rose to 18%, up from 11% the previous year—reaffirming its role as one of the most effective initial access techniques.
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This shift highlights the importance of patch management, identity security, and phishing awareness as essential pillars in reducing ransomware risk-
The Ransomware Ecosystem Continues to Expand
Behind every attack lies an increasingly vast, specialized, and coordinated criminal ecosystem.
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In Q3 2025, 85 active extortion groups and 1,592 new victims were identified—equivalent to around 535 victims per month.
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During the first half of 2025, 96 unique groups were observed, and the United States accounted for 66% of leak sites in Q2.
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In terms of variants, Akira remained the most active ransomware strain in Q3 2025, responsible for 34% of attacks, followed by Qilin, with a 10% share.
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With dozens of active groups and new victims each month, understanding which threat actors are operating and how they attack has become an operational necessity for security teams.
Industries and Regions Under Greater Pressure
The impact of ransomware varies significantly by sector and region.
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In 2025, attacks targeting the manufacturing industry grew by approximately 61%, while attacks on infrastructure and critical industries increased by 34% year over year
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In Q3 2025, manufacturing and business services saw the highest number of victims, while the healthcare sector accounted for nearly 8% of the total
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In the United Kingdom, only 1% of organizations reported a ransomware incident; however, among companies that experienced cybercrime, 7% identified ransomware as the attack involved
Conclusion
Ransomware in 2025 reflects a more sophisticated, strategic, and calculated threat landscape. While the volume of attacks remains high, companies are changing how they respond: paying ransoms less often, recovering more quickly, and reducing their reliance on encryption as the sole point of pressure.
At the same time, ransomware groups continue to operate at scale, coordinating within extortion ecosystems and targeting sectors where disruption yields the greatest operational and reputational impact.
These statistics are actionable by design. The organizations best equipped to reduce ransomware impact are those that limit initial access, shorten detection times, and clearly understand who is attacking them, how they operate, and why they’re being targeted.
In this context, TecnetOne’s SOC plays a critical role by integrating continuous monitoring, threat intelligence, early detection, and coordinated response. Through malicious activity analysis, early leak signal monitoring, and correlation of internal and external events, the SOC enables companies to anticipate active ransomware campaigns and make informed decisions before an incident escalates into an operational or financial crisis.
