A Harsh Cyber Reality in 2025
Global ransomware attacks surged dramatically in 2025, with 7,419 incidents recorded worldwide, marking a 32 percent increase over the 5,631 attacks reported in 2024, according to a Comparitech dataset highlighted in a new Industrial Cyber article.
This spike in activity is not just a statistic—it represents a serious escalation in the risk every business faces. Across the 1,173 confirmed attacks, almost 59.2 million records were breached, and even these figures are expected to grow as more victims disclose past incidents.
Manufacturers on the Front Lines
Among all sectors, manufacturing emerged as the most heavily targeted industry. In 2025, manufacturers experienced a 56 percent rise in ransomware incidents—from 937 attacks in 2024 to 1,466 in 2025—while average ransom demands more than doubled.
Manufacturers are often seen by cybercriminals as lucrative targets because of their complex supply chains, operational technology environments, and high cost of downtime. A successful attack can grind production lines to a halt, disrupt logistics, and lead to cascading losses across partners and customers.
Yet this trend extends beyond manufacturing. Legal firms saw a 54 percent increase in attacks, and sectors such as food and beverage, technology, and transportation also recorded sharp growth in ransomware activity.
The Cost of Reactive Defense
Despite the growing threat, many organizations remain trapped in a defensive mindset centered on “detect and respond.” Traditional security tools aim to identify threats after they’ve infiltrated systems and then mitigate damage. But this reactive strategy often leaves critical gaps attackers are quick to exploit—especially with sophisticated ransomware groups like Qilin, Akira, and SafePay dominating the scene.
This approach is no longer enough. Consider that of the attacks recorded, just over 51 percent targeted U.S. entities, and billions of records were exposed across industries. The sheer volume and velocity of attacks mean that detection alone cannot stop ransomware from encrypting files or stealing sensitive data before alerts are triggered.
Why Isolation and Containment Matters
A more effective defense strategy requires shifting from detect-and-respond tactics to proactive isolation and containment. Instead of waiting for a threat to be detected and then trying to react, leaders must adopt solutions that prevent malware from ever executing or spreading. This protects critical systems and prevents lateral movement, even if an attacker gains initial access.
This is where AppGuard stands apart.
AppGuard: Proven Protection for 2026 and Beyond
AppGuard offers a fundamentally different model of endpoint protection. Rather than relying on signatures, heuristics, or detection-based analytics, AppGuard enforces strict isolation at the application level. This means unknown or malicious code cannot run or interact with protected processes and systems, effectively neutralizing ransomware before it can cause harm.
AppGuard’s approach has proven itself over a decade of defending high-risk environments from advanced threats. Now available for commercial use, it provides business owners with a robust layer of defense that stops ransomware—even novel or evasive variants that bypass traditional security stacks.
The Imperative for Business Leaders
The ransomware trends seen in 2025 are a wake-up call. Rising attack volumes, escalating ransom demands, and breaches that compromise tens of millions of records show that the status quo cybersecurity posture is failing too many organizations.
If your business has not yet adopted proactive isolation and containment strategies, now is the time to act. Protecting your endpoints with AppGuard not only strengthens your security posture but ensures that even if adversaries attempt an intrusion, they cannot execute ransomware or spread through your network.
Take Action with CHIPS
Ransomware will not wait. Every week that passes without strong isolation and containment increases your vulnerability to devastating attacks.
Talk with us at CHIPS to learn how AppGuard can transform your cybersecurity strategy and prevent the kinds of incidents highlighted in the 2025 ransomware report.
Protect your business not by detecting threats after the fact, but by stopping them before they ever execute. Contact CHIPS today to secure your organization with AppGuard.
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