RANSOMWARE: 2025 Cyber Incident Report: Threat Actors Double as Ransomware Declines

The S-RM Cyber Incident Insights Report 2025 delivers crucial findings on the evolving cyber threat landscape. Analysing over 600 cyber incidents from 2024, the report uncovers a significant shift in attack patterns and organizational resilience.

🔎 Key Findings
Threat Actors Doubled – The number of distinct cybercriminal groups surged by 96%, from 27 in 2023 to 53 in 2024, signalling a more fragmented and aggressive threat landscape.

Ransomware Still Dominant but Slowing – One-third of all incidents involved ransomware, maintaining its top spot for the third consecutive year. However, ransomware-related leak site listings grew by just 13% in 2024, a major drop from 70% growth in 2023.

Decline in Ransom Payments – Only 14% of victims paid a ransom in 2024, a sharp decline from 28% in 2022, showing increased organizational resilience.

Backups Save Businesses – 58% of ransomware victims had viable backups, up 26% since 2022, enabling data recovery without paying hackers.

Security Gaps Fuel Attacks – 72% of ransomware cases exploited unpatched software or the lack of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). Meanwhile, 42% of Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks succeeded due to incomplete MFA deployment.

🔐 Cybersecurity Lessons for 2025
This report underscores why businesses must prioritize cybersecurity best practices:

✅ Patch known vulnerabilities to prevent exploitation.
✅ Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) fully across all systems.
✅ Maintain frequent, tested backups to mitigate ransomware damage.
✅ Enhance threat detection and response to counter growing attack complexity.

📊 Final Thoughts
The S-RM Cyber Incident Insights Report 2025 highlights both growing cyber threats and positive trends in resilience. With cybercriminal groups doubling, organizations must stay vigilant and proactive. The decline in ransom payments and improved security postures offer hope for a stronger cybersecurity future.

🚀 Stay ahead of cyber threats – invest in robust cybersecurity today!