Global ransomware payments plunge by a third amid crackdown

Money stolen falls from record $1.25bn to $813m as more victims refuse to pay off criminal gangs

Ransomware payments fell by more than a third last year to $813m (650m) as victims refused to pay cybercriminals and law enforcement cracked down on gangs, figures reveal.

The decline in such cyber-attacks - where access to a computer or its data is blocked and money is then demanded to release it - came despite a number of high-profile cases in 2024, with victims including NHS trusts in the UK and the US doughnut firm Krispy Kreme.