Ransomware attacks and ransom payments are on the decline, but a growing number of victims are left empty-handed—even after giving in to cybercriminal demands.
In its newly released 2025 Cyberthreat Defense Report (CDR), CyberEdge Group reveals a startling reality: only half of organizations that pay ransoms to cybercriminals actually recover their data. The sobering statistic comes amid a mix of encouraging and concerning ransomware trends—and underscores a critical shift in the global fight against ransomware gangs.
Now in its 12th year, the CDR remains one of the cybersecurity industry’s most comprehensive and widely cited research reports. The 2025 edition compiles insights from 1,200 IT security professionals across 17 countries and 19 industries, offering deep insights into security challenges, technology adoption, and future plans.
Ransomware Trends: A Double-Edged Sword
This year’s CDR paints a complex picture of ransomware’s evolving role in the threat landscape:
- Fewer organizations are being attacked. Successful ransomware attacks have declined from a peak of 73 percent two years ago to 63 percent this year.
- Fewer are paying ransoms. Only 41 percent of victimized organizations chose to pay in 2024—down from 63 percent three years ago.
- Fewer are getting their data back. Alarmingly, only 54 percent of ransom-paying victims recovered their data—down from 73 percent two years ago.
“Organizations are finally wising up. They’re investing in resilience, improving backups, and refusing to reward cybercriminals,” said Steve Piper, founder and CEO of CyberEdge Group. “But for those still tempted to pay, this year’s results are a wake-up call: nearly half who paid got nothing in return. It’s like handing over a bag of cash and watching the crooks vanish.”
More Highlights from the 2025 Report
The 2025 CDR goes beyond ransomware to deliver dozens of actionable insights, including:
- AI on the rise. More than four in five security professionals (84 percent) prefer security tools powered by artificial intelligence.
- Wishful thinking. 82 percent of organizations experienced successful cyberattacks in 2024—but only 64 expect the same this year.
- Security awareness still lacking. ‘Low security awareness among employees’ tops the list of barriers and challenges for IT security teams.
- Hardest to secure. Mobile devices, industrial control systems (ICS), IoT devices, and containers (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes) are the most difficult IT assets to defend.
- Certifications that matter. Security management and security engineering certifications offer the biggest career boosts for cybersecurity pros.
- Identity security in the spotlight. 98 percent of organizations plan to strengthen their identity security postures this year, with detecting and responding to identity-related threats at the top of the list.
- MSSPs are critical. Nine in 10 organizations outsource to managed security service providers (MSSPs), with managed detection and response (MDR) at the top of the list.
- Hottest security tech for 2025. The security technologies most widely planned for acquisition this year include next-generation firewalls (network security), deception technology (endpoint security), bot management (application and data security), and advanced security analytics (security management and operations).
Explore AITechPark for the latest advancements in AI, IOT, Cybersecurity, AITech News, and insightful updates from industry experts!