Report: Ransomware Remains Most Costly Form of Attack

The Coalition 2025 Cyber Claims Report reviews 2024 ransomware trends: claims stabilized but remained highly costly (average ransom demand fell 22% to $1.1M), with Akira most-reported and Black Basta commanding the highest average demands; stolen credentials (47%) and software exploits (29%) were key initial access vectors, perimeter appliances from vendors like Fortinet and Cisco were frequently targeted, data exfiltration before encryption is now routine, over 5 million internet-exposed remote management solutions were identified, and Coalition forecasts ~45,000 disclosed software vulnerabilities in 2025 — underscoring the need for patching, secured remote access, and robust data protection.