Ransomware Crooks: Busier Than Ever, But Broke!

Total ransom payments in 2025 came in at a paltry $820 million-an 8% drop from 2024. Reports say the decline is tied to regulators tightening their grip, law enforcement cracking down on money-laundering networks, and companies refusing to pay. With big organizations shutting the door, attackers moved on to easier prey. “Smaller victims pay faster,” quoth Corsin Camichel, a sage of the digital underworld. But faster does not mean richer, as the math of their schemes begins to catch up with them.








