Ransomware Trends in 2025: What Mid-Market Leaders Should Watch

Key trends - Double extortion is standard. Many groups now exfiltrate data before encrypting, then threaten to publish or sell it. Backup and recovery alone are not enough; you need detection and response. - Ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) continues to lower the bar for attackers, so more affiliates target mid-market and SMBs where security maturity is often lower. - Initial access often comes from phishing, exposed RDP, or exploited vulnerabilities in internet-facing systems. Patching and access controls remain critical. What to prioritize Focus on: (1) 24/7 detection and response so you catch activity early, (2) segmented networks and least-privilege access to limit spread, (3) tested backups and incident playbooks so you can recover without paying, and (4) user awareness and MFA to reduce phishing success.