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Cyberinsurance Claims Drop While Ransomware Grows Costlier –
Resilience’s 2025 Midyear Cyber Risk Report paints a stark picture. Cyberinsurance claims fell 53% in the first half of 2025 compared to 2024. But the cost of ransomware claims rose 17%. “Fewer incidents escalate to incurred losses, but when they do hit, they’re hitting harder,” said Jeremy Gittler, Global Head of Claims at Resilience. Ransomware accounted for 76% of incurred losses in early 2025. When vendor-related ransomware is included, that number climbs to 91%.
AI and Double Extortion Redefine Cybercrime
Attackers are leveraging AI for more convincing attacks. The report highlights phishing powered by AI, which now “achieves a 54% success rate, compared to just 12% for traditional attempts”.
The study also warns that criminals are stealing cyberinsurance policies. In some cases, attackers used them to set ransom demands just under policy limits.
Industries Face Uneven Pressure
Manufacturers are under siege. Several ransomware incidents averaged claims exceeding $1 million. Healthcare faces the highest extortion demands, up to $4 million. The report notes, “Hospitals cannot risk prolonged downtime when patient lives are at stake”.
Retailers suffered extended outages. Marks & Spencer lost online ordering for 45 days, costing an estimated £40 million a week.
Social Engineering Takes Center Stage
Social engineering drove over half, 60%, of incurred losses in 2025. “Phishing remains difficult to stop because its social
engineering tactics often evade conventional
security mechanisms,” the report states.
Transfer fraud accounted for 26% of incurred claims, fueled by AI-driven voice synthesis. Criminals now impersonate executives and IT staff with alarming accuracy.
Vendor Risk Persists
Vendor-related incidents fell from 22% of incurred losses in 2024 to 15% in 2025. Still, the report cautions that “the interconnected nature of modern businesses compounds this issue…a vulnerability in one area can expose many others”.
Ransomware Gangs Shift Tactics
Ransomware gangs continue to evolve. Groups like Interlock, Chaos, Medusa, and Akira each deploy unique methods. Resilience researchers observed that Scattered Spider “leveraged misconfigurations within globally used platforms, including Azure, AWS, and Microsoft 365”.
Claims Trends Suggest Stabilization, Not Relief
The frequency of claims fell, but severity increased. Average ransomware claims now exceed $1.18 million, compared to $705,000 in 2024. “The 17% increase in ransomware claims losses shows that cybercriminals are becoming more selective and more devastating,” Gittler said.
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Resilience Calls for Proactive Defense
Resilience advises organizations to secure insurance policies like crown jewels. “Protecting your cyber insurance policies isn’t just about following best practices—it’s about treating these critical documents with the same care you’d give your most sensitive customer data,” the report warns.
It also discourages paying for data suppression. “Suppression payments offer only the illusion of protection,” the report states.
Bullet Points Takeaway
- Cyberinsurance claims dropped 53% in the first half of 2025 compared to 2024.
- Average ransomware claim severity rose 17%, surpassing $1.18 million per incident.
- 76% of incurred cyber losses came from ransomware; that number increases to 91% when vendor ransomware is included.
- AI-powered phishing reached a 54% success rate, far higher than traditional phishing attempts.
- 60% of incurred losses were tied to social engineering attacks.
- Vendor-related incidents declined to 15% of incurred losses, down from 22% in 2024.
- Top ransomware gangs in 2025 include Scattered Spider, Interlock, Chaos, Medusa, and Akira.
- Healthcare ransom demands reached $4 million, while retail outages cost tens of millions per week.
- Resilience urges companies to secure cyberinsurance policies as crown-jewel assets.
- The report warns: “Suppression payments offer only the illusion of protection”.
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