RANSOMWARE BY THE NUMBERS

Ransomware Statistics

Ransomware is a complex ecosystem of Advanced Ransomware Threat actors running campaigns with business-style precision. These metrics reveal how their tactics affect operations, finances and regulatory reporting requirements as CISOs balance breach mandates, legal risks and career accountability.
COST OF ATTACKS

What is the average cost of
a ransomware attack?

Ransomware carries costs far beyond the ransom payment itself. Negotiation, incident response, legal fees, data recovery and brand damage all add up into multi-million-dollar losses for both small businesses and enterprises. The figures here illustrate why paying or refusing a ransom often leaves organisations in a lose-lose position.

2024
$120K
$1.24M
Cost range for small businesses impacted by a data breach

Cost range for small businesses impacted by a data breach

Source: IBM - Cost of a Data Breach 2024

2024
$3,500,000
Average ransom demand

Average ransom demand (2024)

Source: Comparitech 2024 Report

Q4
2024
$550,000
Average ransom paid

Average ransom paid (Q4 2024)

Source: Coveware Q4 2024 Report

Q4
2024
25%
Percentage of victims who paid any ransom

Percentage of victims who paid any ransom (Q4 2024)

Source: Coveware Q4 2024 Report

2023
$600,000
Median ransom demand

Median ransom demand (2023)

Source: Palo Alto Unit 42

PAID vs REFUSED COST
2024
$4.49M
$5.12M
Total breach cost for organizations that paid vs. refused to pay ransom

Total breach cost for organizations that paid vs. refused to pay ransom

Source: IBM - Cost of a Data Breach 2024

COST WITH vs WITHOUT LE
2024
$4.38M
$5.37M
Total breach cost with law enforcement involvement 
vs. without

Total breach cost with law enforcement involvement vs. without

Source: IBM - Cost of a Data Breach 2024

Response to Attacks

How do I respond to a ransomware attack?

Every incident response choice - automated playbooks, law enforcement support or internal effort - shapes both the containment timeline and total expense. Despite best practices, most organisations still see high costs whether they pay or not. These numbers highlight the limited upside of each approach and the need for a systematic strategy.

"Median containment time with automated playbooks vs. without"

Source: IBM - Cost of a Data Breach 2024

TIME TO CONTAIN BREACH
365 days (one year)
281 days
with law enforcement
365 days (one year)
297 days
with law enforcement
Q4
2024
57%
Percentage of ransomware incidents first 
detected by external parties

Percentage of ransomware incidents first detected by external parties

Source: Mandiant M-Trends 2025

2024
51 days vs 79 days
Median containment time with automated 
playbooks vs. without

Median containment time with automated playbooks vs. without

Source: IBM - Cost of a Data Breach 2024

2024 vs 2023
194 days vs 204 days
Mean time to identify a breach
(7-year low)

Mean time to identify a breach in 2024 vs. 2023 (7-year low)

Source: IBM - Cost of a Data Breach 2024

Q4
2024
4 days
Median "dwell time" for ransomware attacks 
(initial compromise to encryption)

Median "dwell time" for ransomware attacks (initial compromise to encryption)

Source: Sophos Active Adversary 2025

2024
64 days
Average time to contain a breach

Average time to contain a breach (2024)

Source: IBM - Cost of a Data Breach 2024

2023
22%
Organizations that recovered operations within 
one week after ransomware attack

Organizations that recovered operations within one week after ransomware attack

Source: Sophos State of Ransomware 2024

Frequency and Identification of Attacks

How often do ransomware attacks happen?

Advanced Ransomware Threat actors deploy a structured Ransomware Attack Killchain against targets worldwide, striking repeatedly and often in stealth. The statistics below expose how frequently organisations are breached and how detection gaps leave many victims unaware until it is too late.

Q4
2024
59%
Share of organizations worldwide hit by ransomware in the past year

Share of organizations worldwide hit by ransomware in the past year

Source: Sophos State of Ransomware 2024

2023
47%
Proportion of global ransomware attacks targeting U.S. organizations

Proportion of global ransomware attacks targeting U.S. organizations (2023)

Source: Cyberint 2024 Report

2024
32%
Percentage of all malware incidents that were ransomware

Percentage of all malware incidents in 2024 that were ransomware

Source: Verizon DBIR 2024

2023
44%
Share of financially motivated breaches that involved ransomware

Share of financially motivated breaches in 2023 that involved ransomware

Source: Verizon DBIR 2024

2024
15 per Day
Average number of organizations falling victim to ransomware each day

Average number of organizations falling victim to ransomware each day in 2024

Source: Cyberint 2024 Report

2023
11%
Percentage of observed malware families that were ransomware

Percentage of observed malware families in 2023 that were ransomware

Source: Mandiant M-Trends 2024

2024
5,414 victims
Count of published ransomware victims (23% increase from 4,399 in 2023)

Count of published ransomware victims in 2024 (23% increase from 4,399 in 2023)

Source: Cyberint 2024 Report

Specifics of Attacks

What are the specifics of ransomware attacks?

Ransomware incidents unfold in phases - from initial compromise through data encryption and extortion demands - each orchestrated by threat actors operating like businesses. These metrics break down campaign durations, active group counts and the hidden risk that paying criminals only invites repeat attacks.

AVERAGE RANSOMWARE ACTIVE TIME (2022-2024)
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
70+ days
unrestricted access to your data for the 
past three years

Unrestricted access to your data for the
past three years

Source: IBM - Cost of a Data Breach

2024
5,414 attacks
Total published ransomware attacks worldwide

Total published ransomware attacks worldwide in 2024

Source: Cyberint 2024 Report

2024
73 days
Average "active time" of a ransomware incident

Average "active time" of a ransomware incident (2024)

Source: IBM - Cost of a Data Breach 2024

Q4
2024
<48 hours
75% of paying victims remitted ransom 
within 48 hours

75% of paying victims remitted ransom within 48 hours (Q4 2024)

Source: Coveware Q4 2024 Report

2024
95 groups
40%
Number of active ransomware gangs 
(40% increase from 68 in 2023)

Number of active ransomware gangs in 2024 (40% increase from 68 in 2023)

Source: Cyberint 2024 Report

Q4
2024
80%
Share of organizations that paid ransom and were attacked again (often by the same group)

Share of organizations that paid ransom and were attacked again (often by the same group)

Source: Halcyon Research 2024

Q4
2024
84%
Share of paying victims that did not fully recover their data

Share of paying victims that did not fully recover their data

Source: Sophos State of Ransomware 2024

2024
93%
Share of ransomware binaries that are Windows-based executables

Share of ransomware binaries that are Windows-based executables

Source: Kaspersky SecureList 2025

Trends in Ransomware

What are the latest ransomware trends?

As adversaries refine their playbooks for greater scale and profit, attack volumes rise even as ransom payment rates fall under mounting legal and regulatory pressure. The trends outlined here show where the ransomware ecosystem is headed and why building resilience is now mandatory.

Q4
2024
1,663 attacks
Published ransomware attacks (highest quarterly volume on record)

Published ransomware attacks in Q4 2024 (highest quarterly volume on record)

Source: Coveware Q4 2024 Report

Q4
2024
25%
Victim ransom payment rate, a historic low

Victim ransom payment rate (Q4 2024), a historic low

Source: Coveware Q4 2024 Report

2024
70%
vs
8%
Year-over-year jump in ransomware: 
Latin America vs. North America

Year-over-year jump in ransomware: Latin America vs. North America (2024)

Source: SonicWall 2025 Threat Report

2024
42%
vs
35%
% of executives claiming cyber resilience measures vs.
% of orgs with a formal recovery playbook

% of executives claiming cyber resilience measures vs. % of orgs with a formal recovery playbook

Source: PwC Digital Trust Insights 2024

2024 vs. 2023
18%
Year-over-year drop in ransomware detections

Year-over-year drop in ransomware detections (2024 vs. 2023)

Source: Kaspersky Security Network

2023
22%
59%
While 59% of orgs were attacked last year, only 22% of victims recovered within a week

Share of attacked organizations vs. share that recovered within one week (2023 survey)

Source: Sophos State of Ransomware 2024

Don’t become
another statistic.
Learn How Halycon Can Help
Learn How Halycon Can Help

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With ransomware attacks and ransom payments seeing an upward trend in recent and coming years, it is wise to invest and upgrade your cybersecurity solutions as soon as possible. Get a demo of the Halcyon Platform and see how it is built with failure in mind, every step of the way.

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