Majority of CISOs Open to Paying Ransomware Demands Amid Downtime Fears
Event summary
- 58% of CISOs would consider paying ransomware demands, per Absolute Security's survey of 750 enterprise CISOs in the US and UK.
- 46% rank operational downtime as the most significant ransomware impact.
- 83% of CISOs claim confidence in recovery, yet 57% take up to six days and 20% take up to two weeks to recover.
- 59% of organizations require physical possession of endpoints for remediation, while only 53% have remote recovery capabilities.
- Legacy system patching (42%) and employee awareness training (43%) are top ransomware mitigation challenges.
The big picture
The findings highlight a growing tension between regulatory pressures against ransom payments and the immediate business need to minimize downtime. As ransomware attacks increasingly target remote and hybrid endpoints—where security controls fail 20% of the time—the industry faces a critical gap in operational resilience. Absolute Security's report underscores the need for faster, more reliable recovery mechanisms as AI-driven attacks escalate.
What we're watching
- Downtime Dynamics
- How prolonged recovery times will pressure CISOs to prioritize faster remediation solutions.
- Regulatory Pressure
- Whether increasing legal restrictions will deter ransom payments despite operational risks.
- AI-Powered Threats
- The pace at which cybercriminals' use of AI will outstrip defenders' ability to patch vulnerabilities.
Related topics