Ransomware payments cratered in 2025, but attacks surged to record highs

Ransomware payments cratered in 2025, but it seems like the cybercrooks launching the attacks didn't get the memo.

That's the headline from Chainalysis' 2026 Crypto Crime Report, which shows total on-chain ransomware payments falling for a second straight year, even as victim counts and leak site pressure continue to climb.

Ransomware gangs pulled in about $820 million in 2025, roughly 8 percent less than the year before, as the share of victims paying dropped to an all-time low of 28 percent. That drop might sound like progress if the wider picture weren't so bleak: the median ransom demand jumped from $12,738 in 2024 to $59,556 in 2025, and the number of publicly claimed attacks climbed along with it.

"Despite the relative stability in total payments, ransomware attacks surged across multiple vectors in 2025, with eCrime.ch data showing a 50 percent YoY increase in claimed ...