We’re happy to share Veeam’s new report — From Risk to Resilience: 2025 Ransomware Trends and Proactive Strategies.
This year, 1,300 organizations were surveyed, including 900 who experienced at least one ransomware attack in the past 12 months. This report isn’t merely another warning about cyberattacks; CISOs, security professionals, and IT leaders already recognize the danger and said this was reflected in their responses. This research also includes insight from Coveware by Veeam’s own incident response data. The 2025 Risk to Resilience report is particularly focused on how organizations can enhance their data resilience for 2025.
Nearly all organizations — 98% of them — reported having a playbook to respond to ransomware attacks. This is a clear sign that organizations take the threat of ransomware seriously and they see it as very real. Unfortunately, less than half of organizations have the essential elements required to execute that response playbook effectively.
The Risk to Resilience report also reveals steps organizations took that resulted in more successful outcomes when responding to a ransomware attack. The organizations who used these five key strategies had more positive outcomes in their ransomware response:
- Backup verifications and frequencies.
- Backup copies and assured cleanliness.
- Alternative infrastructure arrangements.
- Containment or isolation plans.
- A pre-defined chain of command for response.
You’ll learn more about these strategies and other trends organizations are facing in this research report, which hopefully will help you identify any gaps in your own incident response playbook.
Six Ransomware Trends for 2025
This year’s report reveals six major trends that emerged through organizations’ responses to this survey. We’ll highlight the trends but be sure to read the report to get the full picture!
- Law Enforcement Forces Threat Actors to Adapt
One standout development from 2024 to 2025 is that law enforcement crackdowns have acted as a deterrent for large targets. That included the probable disbanding of Black Basta, who, according to leaked internal chat logs, discussed concerns about law enforcement scrutiny after an attack on Ascension, a U.S. health system. It’s not all rosy, though. Groups continue to target small and medium enterprises who might not have the same resources to protect their digital infrastructure.
- Data Exfiltration Attacks Grow
The number of exfiltration victims that paid a ransom rose during Q4, and threat actors are putting pressure on victims by threatening to disclose sensitive data. They compromise systems, move laterally to identify weaknesses, and then they launch an attack with exfiltration and then encryption. Threat actors are also reducing their dwell time between initial compromise and an attack, often beginning the attack just hours after initial entry.
- Ransomware Payments are Decreasing
Organizations are paying fewer ransoms in 2024 compared to 2023. In fact, 27% of respondents said they did not pay any ransom, and 25% of that group said they were able to recover their data anyway. Based on survey results, organizations that worked with third parties to assist in their response paid fewer ransoms or had lesser payments overall. This also leads us to our fourth trend: Increasing legal consequences for paying ransoms.
- Emerging Legal Consequences of Ransom Payments
Countries are increasingly discouraging ransom payments. For example, the U.S. launched the International Counter Ransomware Initiative (CRI) with 68 countries to develop uniform policies, and in 2023, 40 of those countries pledged to discourage organizations from paying. Some governments now ban public sector organizations from making ransom payments, and agencies like the U.S. Treasury Department point to potential sanctions risks.
- Collaboration Reinforces Resilience Against Ransomware
Organizations are working on breaking down barriers between IT operations and security teams — or at least have the plans in place to do so. From the survey, 52% of organizations said they need significant improvement to align those teams.
- Budgets Rise for Security, but More is Needed
94% of organizations that experienced a ransomware attack are increasing their recovery budget and even more organizations (95%) plan to boost their spending on prevention. These results show clear recognition that combatting ransomware requires adequate funding for these parts of an organization.
After an Attack
Notably, organizations broadly thought they were prepared for a ransomware attack according to this research. 69% said they were well prepared before experiencing an attack, but that confidence dropped by more than 20% post-attack.
There were also trends identified that showed what the more successful organizations did after experiencing an attack. Many of these organizations took steps like: :
- Improving employee training and awareness programs.
- Updating software policies to guard against vulnerabilities.
- Implementing new backup and recovery solutions.
- Transitioning backups to cloud or managed services.
Conclusion
Organizations recognize that ransomware is not going away, so defense and response must be woven into everyday operations. Whether it’s frequent backups, robust contingency plans, or ongoing training, the most effective organizations see prevention as a continuous effort and recovery as a key function. These proactive steps help reduce disruption, minimize costs, and transform cybersecurity from a one-time checklist item into a central pillar of the business model.
For a deeper dive into these findings, download From Risk to Resilience: 2025 Ransomware Trends and Proactive Strategies. You’ll find deeper dives into the trends discussed here, and more insight into exactly how organizations worldwide are responding to ransomware.
You can also find a quick quiz to see how your current practices compare to those of your peers. It’s one more way to help ensure you’re prepared for whatever lies ahead!
The post Announcing From Risk to Resilience: 2025 Ransomware Trends and Proactive Strategies appeared first on Veeam Software Official Blog.
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