Ransomware continues to pile on costs for critical infrastructure victims

Sophos' state-of-ransomware data shows ransomware costs for critical national infrastructure have surged: median ransom payments rose to $2.54M (mean $3.225M), recovery costs increased (with some sectors quadrupling to a median $3M), and energy/water sectors are more frequently disrupted and slower to recover. Exploited vulnerabilities were the leading root cause (49% of incidents), and a high percentage of victims paid ransoms despite longer recovery times, prompting debate over payment bans and calls for stronger disclosure and resilience measures.