Total Ransomware Payments Stagnate for Second Consecutive Year, While Attacks Escalate

Chainalysis' 2025 ransomware report finds on-chain ransomware payments roughly $820M (an 8% YoY decline) even as claimed attacks rose ~50%, with median ransom payments jumping 368% to nearly $60K; the report highlights the growing role of Initial Access Brokers, the convergence of criminal and state-linked use of bulletproof hosting and residential proxies, large-impact incidents (e.g., Jaguar Land Rover, Cl0p zero-day campaigns), and intensified disruption efforts (sanctions, seizures, coordinated operations) targeting shared infrastructure to increase operational friction for attackers.