Ransomware in 2025: The Alarming Reality and What Businesses Must Do Next

Imagine logging into your system one morning and seeing every file locked up tight, with a ransom note glaring back at you. That’s not a scene from a thriller, it’s the reality for thousands of businesses this past year.

That’s how one IT manager described their experience. And sadly, they’re not alone.

According to Sophos’ latest State of Ransomware 2025 report, ransomware continues to wreak havoc across industries, but it’s evolving in both attack style and business impact. Here’s what we learned and why businesses like yours can’t afford to look away.

Why Ransomware Still Reigns

Ransomware still rules, not because hackers are clever, but because we keep making simple mistakes.

• 50% of ransomware attacks led to data being encrypted, down from 70% last year, yes, but still devastating.
• 28% of those encrypted also had data stolen. So it’s not just locked, it’s leaked.
• 49% of victims paid the ransom. That’s nearly 1 in 2.
• The average ransom demand? A cool £1 million. The average recovery cost, excluding ransom? £1.1 million.

So even if you don’t pay, you’re still footing a massive bill to bounce back.

Why Are Businesses Still Getting Caught?

It’s not always because of some genius hacker with state-of-the-art tools. More often, it’s because of everyday gaps:

• 40% of victims blamed a lack of expertise.
• 40% were caught off guard by security gaps they didn’t even know existed.
• 39% simply didn’t have enough people watching the gates.

Sound familiar? You're not alone and you're not helpless either.

The Human Cost No One Talks About

Let’s get real. Cyberattacks don’t just impact files and firewalls. They hit people.

• 41% of IT teams said they now suffer constant stress and anxiety.
• 34% felt guilt they couldn’t stop the attack.
• 31% saw team members go off with stress-related absences.
• In 25% of cases, leadership was replaced entirely.

Cybersecurity is no longer just an IT issue — it’s a business-wide wellbeing issue.

So, What Now? Key Takeaways

We believe that cybersecurity doesn’t have to feel like a warzone. Here’s how we help businesses turn the tide:

1. Prevent 
We tackle the root causes: patching vulnerabilities, closing security gaps, and making sure your team has the tools and the know-how to shut the door on threats before they even knock.

2. Protect 
From endpoint defence to intelligent threat monitoring, we give you layered protection. 

3. Detect & Respond 
We partner with industry-leading MDR (Managed Detection & Response) providers. That means you don’t just get alerts, you get action, 24/7.

4. Prepare 
Backups. Recovery drills. Incident response plans. We help you build a plan so tight, even if something slips through, you’re back on your feet before anyone notices.

Ransomware isn’t going away. But with the right support, it doesn’t have to keep you up at night either. If you’re worried about your current setup, want to test your defences, or just need a conversation about where to start, let’s talk.

Because when it comes to ransomware, the best reaction is prevention. Reach out to the Workflo Solutions team to book a FREE cyber risk assessment today.