A survey of 5,000 IT/cybersecurity leaders in 14 countries in early 2024 was reviewed by Sally Adam of Sophos (https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2024-04-30/the-state-of-ransomware-2024/). The findings:
- The percentage of organizations hit by ransomware dropped from 66% in 2022 and 2023 to 59%. (Caution: since this survey was made early in the year, the percentage could rise.)
- Overall recovery costs increased 50% to $2.73 million.
- On average, less than half of an organization's devices are encrypted; only 4% reported 91% or more of their devices were affected.
- More than half of all organizations pay ransom, but most use backups or other means to recover data.
- The average ransom payment has increased to $2,000,000, but almost half (44%) paid less than the original demand.