Takedowns and arrests didn't slow down ransomware in 2025

• Ransomware victims rose from ~5,400 in 2023 to 8,000+ in 2025, a 53–63% increase
• Major groups like RansomHub, BianLian, and Hunters International shut down, but overall numbers grew
• Active groups surged to 126–141, with Qilin, Cl0p, Play, and INC Ransom leading attacks

Despite the police’s best efforts to rid the world of ransomware, not much has changed in 2025, and the infamous cybercriminal practice continued on its upward trajectory.

This is according to “The State of Ransomware in the US: Report and Statistics 2025”, a new report published by security researchers Emsisoft.

Based on data from two separate sources - RansomLook.io and Ransomware.live - collected between 2023 and 2025, Emsisoft determined that some of the biggest players were either disrupted by law enforcement or shut down on their own. But, it didn't do much to slow down the attacks.