Ransomware payments cratered in 2025, but attacks surged to record highs

Chainalysis and other sources report that 2025 saw on-chain ransomware payments fall to roughly $820M while the number of publicly claimed victims and leak-site postings increased; median ransom demands rose significantly and initial access brokers played a measurable role in enabling attacks, with notable high-profile incidents and over 8,000 organizations named on leak sites.