Sophos, a global cybersecurity leader, has released its sixth annual State of Ransomware 2025 report, revealing that 43% of UAE organizations hit by ransomware opted to pay the ransom to recover their data. This figure, while below the global average of 50%, highlights ongoing pressure on companies to resolve attacks quickly amid growing operational and psychological impacts.
The study, based on a vendor-neutral survey of 3,400 IT and cybersecurity leaders across 17 countries, offers a sobering view of the current ransomware threat landscape. Despite increased preparedness, many organizations still face serious challenges, including rising attack sophistication, data breaches, and human stress.
Key UAE Findings:
- 43% of UAE firms that experienced data encryption paid ransom, with 30% negotiating lower amounts.
- 55% of attacks in the UAE involved data encryption, 5% higher than the global average.
- 43% of encrypted cases also included data theft, compared to 28% globally.
- The median ransom payment in the UAE was $1.33 million, though initial demands varied widely.
- Exploited vulnerabilities were the top cause of attacks (42%), followed by malicious emails (23%) and compromised credentials (18%).
“The chance of facing a ransomware attack is now part of the cost of doing business in 2025,” said Chester Wisniewski, Field CISO at Sophos. “What we are seeing is that more organizations are preparing for this reality by hiring incident responders, negotiating lower ransoms, and strengthening recovery processes.”
Despite the costs, 98% of UAE organizations eventually recovered their data, with 68% relying on backups and 43% paying ransom. The recovery time was notably swift: 63% fully recovered within a week, well above the 53% global average.
Business and Human Impact
Beyond direct financial costs, ransomware attacks in the UAE have had significant business and human repercussions:
- The average cost to recover from an attack (excluding ransom) was $1.41 million, slightly below the global mean.
- 40% of IT teams reported increased pressure from leadership.
- 42% experienced anxiety or stress about future attacks.
- 18% of teams saw absences due to stress or mental health issues.
These findings underscore the mental and operational toll that ransomware takes on cybersecurity teams, even in well-resourced organizations.
Prevention and Response
Sophos emphasizes that proactive security is key to managing ransomware risks. The company recommends:
- Eliminating root causes like unpatched vulnerabilities using tools such as Sophos Managed Risk.
- Equipping all endpoints with dedicated anti-ransomware protection.
- Implementing and testing robust incident response plans and regular data backups.
- Investing in 24/7 threat monitoring, either in-house or via Managed Detection and Response (MDR) partners.
As attackers grow more sophisticated, defenders must keep pace with smarter, faster, and more resilient strategies. Sophos will continue to release sector-specific ransomware findings throughout the year.
The State of Ransomware 2025 report offers a crucial lens into the evolving cyber threat landscape and serves as a call to action for organizations of all sizes to harden defenses, support their IT teams, and prepare for the inevitable.
