ProLion Team, June 2025

Ransomware is Growing Exponentially in 2025

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Ransomware is growing exponentially across geographies and industries. Being targeted by ransomware is becoming a “when” and not an “if” for most companies. 

In this article, we’ll break down the new tactics driving the rise in ransomware, explain why backups alone aren’t enough to protect your organization, and show how a multi-layered defense can help you stop attacks before they start.

The State of Ransomware in 2025

In the first quarter of 2025 alone, 2,241 ransomware victims were publicly reported. This represents a 35% jump from the previous quarter and more than double the number of attacks compared to the same time last year. 

Research also points to a 126% year-over-year increase in extortion cases, as attackers grow more aggressive and more organized.

Ransomware has evolved from a crude, one-time data lockout tactic into a highly coordinated, multi-stage campaign that targets your entire environment. 

From hospitals and schools, to law firms and manufacturers, every sector is in the crosshairs.

Ransomware attacks today don’t look like they did five years ago. They’re strategic, patient, and deeply invasive. Here are some of the key trends fueling the exponential growth:

1. Double Extortion

In the past, restoring from a backup was often enough to dodge the ransom. That’s no longer the case. Today’s attackers exfiltrate sensitive data before encrypting it, then threaten to leak that data unless you pay up, even if you’ve recovered your systems. 

This tactic creates a compliance nightmare and amplifies pressure on victims to negotiate.

2. Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS)

You no longer need elite hacking skills to launch a ransomware campaign. With RaaS, anyone can rent ready-made ransomware kits and support services on the dark web. This has lowered the barrier to entry and created a surge in attack volume, with more actors competing for victims.

3. Initial Access Brokers

Many ransomware gangs don’t even breach your systems themselves. Instead, they purchase access from brokers who specialize in exploiting weak points, like stolen credentials or unpatched VPNs. This division of labor makes attacks faster and more precise.

4. AI-Powered Phishing & Social Engineering

Ransomware and AI is a key trend. With generative AI tools, phishing emails are becoming more personalized and convincing. Deepfake audio and synthetic identities make it easier to impersonate executives or IT staff. As these techniques mature, attackers will only get better at blending in and gaining trust before launching their payloads.

5. Supply Chain Attacks

Even if your internal security is airtight, your partners might not be, which is why supply chain attacks are on the rise.

Modern ransomware groups are increasingly targeting third-party vendors, IT providers, and service platforms to gain indirect access to high-value targets. For example, Starbucks experienced a high-profile breach last year after one of its vendors was compromised, exposing sensitive employee and customer data. The lesson is clear: your risk surface extends far beyond your own firewall.

In fact, software supply chain attacks surged by 25% between late 2024 and mid-2025, according to recent research.

Why Backups Alone Aren’t Enough

Backups are essential, but they were never designed to be your primary line of defense against ransomware. 

Modern ransomware campaigns are no longer just about locking files and demanding payment. They’re about disruption, pressure, and leverage. And backups don’t protect against any of that.

Here’s how attackers get around them:

  • They target your backups first. Many ransomware variants are built to seek out and destroy backups, especially if they’re online, unencrypted, or poorly segmented. In fact, 94% of attacks today target backup systems, and 57% of these attacks are successful.
  • They steal your data before encrypting it. Even if you restore from a clean backup, you still have a data breach on your hands with regulatory, legal, and reputational consequences.
  • They sit quietly in your network for weeks. Attackers often move laterally, harvest credentials, and escalate privileges long before triggering the ransomware payload. By the time you notice, the damage is done.

Restoring from a backup might get your systems back online, but it won’t undo the brand damage, compliance violations, or loss of customer trust that can follow.

In short: backups help with recovery. But they don’t prevent an attack.

What you need is a strategy that can stop ransomware before it spreads. Not just clean up after it hits.

What You Actually Need: A Multi-Layered Defense

As ransomware is evolving, your defense strategy needs to evolve too. That means moving beyond basic backup and recovery plans and adopting a multi-layered security approach that can detect, contain, and stop threats before they escalate.

Here are the key components of a modern ransomware defense stack:

1. Early Threat Detection

The earlier you detect signs of lateral movement, credential abuse, or unusual file activity, the faster you can contain the threat. Look for solutions that monitor behavioral patterns as well as known malware signatures, like ProLion CryptoSpike.

CryptoSpike detects and blocks malicious attacks instantly, adding critical protection at the storage level. Check out the free on-demand demo to see how it works. 

2. Least-Privilege Access

Principle of least privilege means employees can only access what they need to do their job. By enforcing strict access controls and limiting admin rights to only what’s absolutely necessary, you reduce the blast radius if hackers manage to compromise an account.

3. Incident Response Playbooks

Predefined incident response playbooks help your team act quickly and decisively. 

When every second counts, confusion is costly. It’s crucial to outline key processes in advance, from isolating affected systems to notifying stakeholders and fulfilling regulatory obligations.

4. Security Awareness Training

Regular cybersecurity training helps employees recognize suspicious emails, avoid risky behavior, and understand the role they play in keeping the business secure.

ProLion: Your Partner Against Ransomware

At ProLion, we specialize in protecting the one part of your infrastructure attackers often target first: your storage systems.

We have helped over 650 companies around the world safeguard their business-critical files against data breaches.

With best-in-class ransomware protection that includes real-time monitoring, automatic threat containment, and rapid file recovery, our solutions stop attacks before they cause lasting damage. Whether you’re securing a large enterprise or a lean IT team, ProLion gives you the tools to stay ahead of today’s evolving threats.

Improve Your Ransomware Defenses Now

Here are some simple steps you can take right now to improve your cybersecurity posture: