Growing threat of Ransomware: AI's role in attacks

By 2025, ransomware attacks have developed to an even greater extent, with artificial intelligence accelerating all stages of the attack-infestation-blackmail process. According to a report by Palo Alto Networks, companies are not coping well with the rapid changes in the tactics used by ransomware teams, in which AI facilitates quick compromise and shortens the time available to detect and respond.

Artificial intelligence has changed the nature of ransomware attacks and has given cybercriminals the ability to automate their work. Each part of the operation, intrusion, encryption, and extortion, has been much more efficient and difficult to detect. In a recent article by MIT Sloan and Safe Security, 80% of ransomware attacks in the year 2025 will be based on AI systems facilitating activities like advanced phishing, deep faking, and automated password cracking, which used to take a lot of time and knowledge previously. The AI-driven ransomware may automatically scan the system vulnerabilities, modify its actions to avoid the suspicious status and proliferate quickly within the networks without human interference. 

In addition, AI can also be used to make social engineering attacks much more convincing and successful by generating phishing messages on an incredibly personalised basis using the power of immense amounts of data analytics. This combination of automation and intelligence does not only speed up the timeline of the attack but it also forces defenders to rethink and update their approach to detection and response with the goal of keeping up with the constantly changing ransomware threats.

Ransomware: From manufacturing to healthcare, no sector is immune

An apt example of this growing threat emerged earlier in 2025, when Tata Technologies suffered a major ransomware breach involving 1.4TB of stolen data and ransom demands for its recovery. The incident underscored how even well-secured enterprises in sectors like manufacturing and technology remain exposed to increasingly AI-powered attacks. According to Industrial Cyber Security Analytics, nearly half of all ransomware incidents this year have targeted critical industries such as healthcare, energy, and manufacturing- disrupting essential operations and highlighting the urgent need for stronger cyber resilience across these sectors.

AI as a multiplier in the Ransomware lifecycle

According to the ransomware state report of 2025 released by BlackFog, AI-intensified phishing has caused the success rates of attacks to rise by more than 60 percent, enabling the attackers to circumvent traditional defenses with the most believable social engineering. According to research conducted by KELA, AI automatising multi-stage ransomware campaigns accelerates the duration of attacks by days to hours, increasing the scale and speed of the threat.

Sectoral impact: A shift toward critical infrastructure

Ransomware is impacting critical infrastructure sectors in 2025 the most. The growth of attacks on the healthcare sector, energy sector and manufacturing sectors (50% of all ransomware events in the world) illustrates a strategic change by cybercriminals, who seek to promptly ransom themselves by disabling services. The medical field has alone witnessed growth in such occurrences by 25% this year and this is extremely dangerous to the safety of the population.

Leadership gaps and defensive strategies

According to Exabeam, the mid-2025 threat assessment states that 68%  of business leaders know about lapses in ransomware preparedness, in particular, with regard to AI-propelled attack processes. In the report, emphasis is placed on the necessity to invest in AI-based detection, ongoing employee training, and responsive capabilities addressing incidents. Active governance and live threat intelligence distribution become the main elements in fighting the increased ransomware threat.

The road ahead

In 2025, the ransomware threat environment will be characterised by the acceleration of activities supported by AI, as well as highly focused, specific attacks on critical industries, such as the case of Tata Technologies. The destructive capacity of attackers utilising AI is increased and organisations are seeking to drive their defense strategies to an entirely new level. The introduction of AI-based security solutions, top management awareness, and collaboration across the industry will play a central role in countering the systemic risks of ransomware.