Ransomware wahala rise 50% for 2025 while on‑chain ransom payment drop to $820M

Chainalysis report sey ransomware leak events rise 50% for 2025, near 8,000 incidents, even though on‑chain ransom payments wey dem document drop 8% year‑on‑year to $820 million. The shift show say attackers dey move from small number of big profile victims to plenty small and medium businesses, and dem dey use cheaper ransomware‑as‑a‑service (RaaS), infostealer logs and AI‑assisted tools wey lower entry barrier and increase attack volume. At the same time, better enforcement, stricter rules, improved corporate defences, and fall for dark‑web “price for victim access” (from $1,427 in early 2023 to $439 by early 2026) don reduce visible on‑chain payment flows. Chainalysis and related reports note say median ransom demands don increase (driven by targeted “big‑game hunting”, triple‑extortion tactics and deeper reconnaissance) even though total traceable payments dey lower; privacy coins and off‑chain settlements fit mean the $820M number na lower bound. The coverage also flag spike for crypto exploits and scams in early 2026 (CertiK report $370.3M stolen in January, mainly via phishing), show say counterparty and security risks still dey for traders. For crypto traders: expect higher systemic cyber‑risk to corporates and critical sectors, possible short‑term volatility around high‑profile breaches or big crypto exploits, and ongoing regulatory and compliance pressure wey fit affect on‑ramp/off‑ramp flows, exchange scrutiny and liquidity.