Ransomware, Regulation & Recovery: What 2025 Means for UK Businesses’ Cyber Security - 22 Sep 2025

The Growing Threat: Ransomware Trends in 2025

The UK government’s latest *Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025* shows that the percentage of businesses experiencing ransomware rose from under 0.5% in 2024 to **1% in 2025**, translating to about 19,000 businesses. While still a small fraction, this growth signals that ransomware is no longer a fringe issue — it’s an emerging mainstream threat. Phishing remains the most common attack vector, but ransomware is becoming costlier and more disruptive.

Regulatory Shifts: what UK law is pushing for

The UK government has been working on the **Cyber Security and Resilience Bill (CSRB)**, which will update the Network and Information Systems Regulations (NIS) from 2018. Key aims include expanding obligations for service providers, data-centre operators, and tightening oversight of third-party suppliers.

In addition, there is increasing governmental emphasis on banning or limiting ransomware payments, making incident reporting more stringent, and enforcing higher transparency.

What This Means for Small & Medium Businesses

Smaller organisations are often the most exposed: limited budgets, fewer security staff, gaps in patching, backups, and strategy. But the shifting cyber landscape means they can no longer afford to treat security as optional.

• Invest in robust backup systems, including isolated (air-gapped or immutable) backups — one of the major reasons businesses are now refusing to pay ransom: they can recover without depending on attackers.
• Ensure your network and systems are managed by skilled experts via IT Support and regular IT Audit (link to audit) — to detect vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. (Note: internal links need correct pages; ensure links exist.)
• Adopt strong password policies, multi-factor authentication, and minimise human error. Weak credentials remain one of the most common intrusion points.
• Monitor supply chain risk — with the CSRB likely to impose greater liability on third-party service providers, choosing suppliers with solid security practices (including those offering next-gen firewalls, security awareness training, etc.) is vital.

How Virtec Helps You Stay Resilient

At Virtec, we offer a suite of IT Support & Cyber Security Services tailored to meet the demands of this shifting threat environment:

• Proactive 24/7 monitoring to catch anomalies early.
• Comprehensive IT Audit to find hidden vulnerabilities.
• Guidance on legislation compliance such as Cyber Essentials and preparation for upcoming laws like the CSRB.
• Expert support for cloud services with strong security: Cloud Data Storage, Microsoft 365, secure Hosted Email, Microsoft Azure infrastructure, and Microsoft SharePoint solutions.

Key Actions You Can Take Right Now

To protect your business today, consider:

1. Reviewing your backup strategy — ensure it’s tested, immutable if possible, and isolated from your live operations.
2. Running regular IT Support reviews to make sure software is up to date and patched.
3. Strengthening credentials and authentication, making multi-factor authentication standard.
4. Ensuring your supply chain and third-party vendors meet high security standards.
5. Understanding regulatory obligations: CSRB, Cyber Essentials, incident reporting requirements.

To read more about recent incidents, see our article on connectivity & networking trends, or dive into password security tips.

Virtec IT Solutions — helping businesses in Kent adapt, comply, and stay secure in an evolving cyber landscape.