These latest ransomware statistics show how much damage is caused by attacks and the emerging trends you need to be aware of.

From 2021 to 2024, the share of financial institutions worldwide experiencing ransomware attacks has increased significantly. In 2024, roughly 65 percent of financial organizations worldwide reported experiencing a ransomware attack, compared to 64 percent in 2023 and 34 percent in 2021.

Here are the most important ransomware statistics you need to know about the attacks, demands, payments and consequences that can occur.

In 2023, organizations all around the world detected 317.59 million ransomware attempts. Overall, this number decreased significantly between the third and fourth quarters of 2022, going from around 102 million to nearly 155 million cases, respectively. Ransomware attacks usually target organizations that collect large amounts of data and are critically important. In case of an attack, these organizations prefer paying the ransom to restore stolen data rather than to report the attack immediately. The incidents of data loss also damage companies’ reputation, which is one of the reasons why ransomware attacks are not reported. Most targeted industries and regions As a part of critical infrastructure, the manufacturing industry is usually targeted by ransomware attacks. In 2022, manufacturing organizations worldwide saw 437 such attacks. The food and beverage industry ranked second, with over 50 ransomware attacks. By the share of ransomware attacks on critical infrastructure, North America ranked first among other worldwide regions, followed by Europe. Healthcare and public health sector organizations filed the highest number of complaints to the U.S. law enforcement in 2022 about ransomware attacks. Ransomware as a service (RaaS) The Ransomware as a Service (RaaS) business model has existed for over a decade. The model involves hackers and affiliates. Hackers develop ransomware attack models and sell them to affiliates. The latter then use them independently to attack targets. According to the business model, the hacker who created the RaaS receives a service fee per collected ransom. In the first quarter of 2022, there were 31 Ransomware as a Service (RaaS) extortion groups worldwide, compared to the 19 such groups in the same quarter of 2021.

As of 2023, over 72 percent of businesses worldwide were affected by ransomware attacks. This figure represents an increase on the previous five years and was by far the highest figure reported. Overall, since 2018, more than half of the total survey respondents each year stated that their organizations had been victimized by ransomware. Most targeted industries
In 2023, the healthcare industry in the United States was once again most targeted by ransomware attacks. This industry also suffers most data breaches as a consequence of cyberattacks. The critical manufacturing industry ranked second by the number of ransomware attacks, followed by the government facilities industry. Ransomware in the manufacturing industry
The manufacturing industry, along with its subindustries, is constantly targeted by ransomware attacks, causing data loss, business disruptions, and reputational damage. Often, such cyberattacks are international and have a political intent. In 2023, compromised credentials were the leading cause of ransomware attacks in the manufacturing industry.

📌 Context of the Dataset

The Healthcare Ransomware Dataset was created to simulate real-world cyberattacks in the healthcare industry. Hospitals, clinics, and research labs have become prime targets for ransomware due to their reliance on real-time patient data and legacy IT infrastructure. This dataset provides insight into attack patterns, recovery times, and cybersecurity practices across different healthcare organizations.

Why is this important?

Ransomware attacks on healthcare organizations can shut down entire hospitals, delay treatments, and put lives at risk. Understanding how different healthcare organizations respond to attacks can help develop better security strategies. The dataset allows cybersecurity analysts, data scientists, and researchers to study patterns in ransomware incidents and explore predictive modeling for risk mitigation.

📌 Sources and Research Inspiration This simulated dataset was inspired by real-world cybersecurity reports and built using insights from official sources, including:

1️⃣ IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report (2024)

The healthcare sector had the highest average cost of data breaches ($10.93 million per incident). On average, organizations recovered only 64.8% of their data after paying ransom. Healthcare breaches took 277 days on average to detect and contain.

2️⃣ Sophos State of Ransomware in Healthcare (2024)

67% of healthcare organizations were hit by ransomware in 2024, an increase from 60% in 2023. 66% of backup compromise attempts succeeded, making data recovery significantly more difficult. The most common attack vectors included exploited vulnerabilities (34%) and compromised credentials (34%).

3️⃣ Health & Human Services (HHS) Cybersecurity Reports

Ransomware incidents in healthcare have doubled since 2016. Organizations that fail to monitor threats frequently experience higher infection rates.

4️⃣ Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Alerts

Identified phishing, unpatched software, and exposed RDP ports as top ransomware entry points. Only 13% of healthcare organizations monitor cyber threats more than once per day, increasing the risk of undetected attacks.

5️⃣ Emsisoft 2020 Report on Ransomware in Healthcare

The number of ransomware attacks in healthcare increased by 278% between 2018 and 2023. 560 healthcare facilities were affected in a single year, disrupting patient care and emergency services.

📌 Why is This a Simulated Dataset?

This dataset does not contain real patient data or actual ransomware cases. Instead, it was built using probabilistic modeling and structured randomness based on industry benchmarks and cybersecurity reports.

How It Was Created:

1️⃣ Defining the Dataset Structure

The dataset was designed to simulate realistic attack patterns in healthcare, using actual ransomware case studies as inspiration.

Columns were selected based on what real-world cybersecurity teams track, such as: Attack methods (phishing, RDP exploits, credential theft). Infection rates, recovery time, and backup compromise rates. Organization type (hospitals, clinics, research labs) and monitoring frequency.

2️⃣ Generating Realistic Data Using ChatGPT & Python

ChatGPT assisted in defining relationships between attack factors, ensuring that key cybersecurity concepts were accurately reflected. Python’s NumPy and Pandas libraries were used to introduce randomized attack simulations based on real-world statistics. Data was validated against industry research to ensure it aligns with actual ransomware attack trends.

3️⃣ Ensuring Logical Relationships Between Data Points

Hospitals take longer to recover due to larger infrastructure and compliance requirements. Organizations that track more cyber threats recover faster because they detect attacks earlier. Backup security significantly impacts recovery time, reflecting the real-world risk of backup encryption attacks.

While every industry is affected by ransomware attacks, the truth is that some industries are more susceptible than others. This is the full breakdown of the top 15 sectors most targeted by malware.

A 2024 survey of cybersecurity professionals of organizations worldwide revealed that 32 percent of the organizations suffered ransomware attacks because of exploited vulnerabilities. Credential compromise was the second-most common cause of successful ransomware attacks, while malicious e-mail ranked third.

On average, ** percent of organizations worldwide were victims of a ransomware attack between January and February 2024, according to a survey conducted among cybersecurity leaders of worldwide organizations. France ranked first by the ransomware rate in companies, with ** percent reporting having encountered such an attack in the last 12 months. Companies in South Africa, Italy, and Austria followed, with up to ** percent of the organizations experiencing ransomware attacks.

Introduction

Notable Ransomware Statistics: Even in the year 2024, ransomware is ranked among the most disruptive and expensive types of cybercrime. This is software that keeps people from accessing their gadgets until they pay an amount, and it keeps getting better with time, while looking for people to pay or companies.

Data as of 2024 indicated that there was an upward trend in the prevalence and economic losses caused by ransomware attacks throughout the world. Emerged are some notable ransomware statistics to consider in the year 2024.

On average, 37% of organisations globally were victims of a ransomware attack between January and February 2021. The top 15 countries that were affected the most were...

Different types of ransomware are more common than others and more likely to affect your cybersecurity. The top 5 most common types of ransomware strains are...

The following ransomware statistics detail which industries get attacked the most and which countries are most likely to be targeted.

Introduction

Cybersecurity Statistics: Cybersecurity is now a crucial part of everyday life because as technology grows, the risk of cyber threats also increases. Both individuals and organizations must take steps to protect their digital assets and sensitive information from potential attacks. When talking about cybersecurity, it's common first to explain why it's important, what types of threats and weaknesses exist, and how risks can be managed.

This includes understanding the roles that both people and businesses play in protecting data, the need for regular updates and security patches, having strong ways to confirm identities, and teaching people about cybersecurity. In conclusion, it's important to remember that cybersecurity is a continuous process, and we must always stay alert and adjust to new risks. We shall shed more light on Cybersecurity Statistics through this article.

The main goal of any ransomware attacker is to hold people to ransom by not releasing their data until they get paid. But is it actually a good idea to pay the ransom? Here’s what the ransomware statistics tell us about organisations that paid up.

In 2024, 74 percent of healthcare organizations worldwide that experienced ransomware attacks in the past year, said that as a result of the attack the data was encrypted. Meanwhile, only a quarter of them were able to stop the attack before the data was encrypted.

Here are the leading causes of ransomware attacks today.

In the third quarter of 2024, Healthcare was the industry in the United States most impacted by ransomware attacks, with 18.6 percent of annual attacks targeting the industry. Consumer services ranked second, with 14.4 percent of the attacks, followed by the public sector, with 11.3 percent.

from different families

Ransomwhere is the largest dataset of ransomware payment addresses, comprising over a billion dollars in payments. The dataset contains payment addresses, transactions, and the associated ransomware family. Anyone — whether a victim, a firm, or a security researcher — can help grow the data by submitting addresses of ransomware actors. For more information and to submit data, see ransomwhe.re.