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Sophos Finds Higher Encryption Rates Among Retail Ransomware Victims

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What Readers Should Know

Sophos found that encryption increased among surveyed retail ransomware victims even as recovery became faster. Average recovery costs excluding ransom payments reached US$1.76 million.

Key Takeaways

  • The survey covered 217 retail IT and cybersecurity leaders.
  • All respondents represented organizations previously hit by ransomware.
  • Encryption reached 62 percent, up 14 percentage points.
  • Average recovery time fell to 2.54 weeks.
  • Recovery costs exclude any ransom payment.

Faster recovery and lower median ransom payments coexist with rising recovery costs.

Retail organizations surveyed by recovered from ransomware faster and reported lower typical ransom payments, but more attacks succeeded in encrypting their data.

The State of Ransomware in Retail 2026 report found that 62 percent of attacks encrypted data, up from 48 percent in 2025—a rise of 14 percentage points. SOPHOS

The research surveyed 217 IT and cybersecurity leaders across 17 countries whose retail organizations had experienced ransomware in the previous 12 months. Fieldwork took place from January to March 2026.

Because respondents were already ransomware victims, the findings do not mean 62 percent of all retailers were attacked or had data encrypted. The report also does not provide a Philippine-specific rate.

According to the supplied release, average recovery time fell from 3.16 weeks to 2.54 weeks. However, average recovery costs, excluding ransom payments, increased from US$1.65 million to US$1.76 million.

The median ransom payment was US$57,500—the lowest among the sectors surveyed. This measures the midpoint of reported payments and should not be confused with either the average recovery cost or the initial ransom demand.

Known but unresolved security gaps remained a concern: 38 percent of surveyed retail victims identified one as an operational cause of their breach.

Sophos also reported that existing controls sometimes detected warning signs without preventing encryption. Its recommendations focus on addressing known weaknesses, strengthening account protection, coordinating security tools and testing recovery procedures.

For Philippine retailers entering major shopping campaigns, the findings offer a readiness reminder rather than a forecast of holiday attacks. Payment processing, inventory, fulfillment and customer service all depend on systems remaining available.

The complete report is accessible through Sophos.

Reader Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the report measure all retailers?

No. It surveys retail organizations that experienced ransomware.

Is it specific to the Philippines?

No. Respondents came from 17 countries.

What happened to encryption rates?

They rose from 48 percent to 62 percent.

What was the average recovery cost?

US$1.76 million, excluding ransom payments.

Does it measure attacks during holiday sales?

No. The release explicitly distinguishes its findings from shopping-event-specific attacks.

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Introvert, wanderer, blogger, foodie, a hip-hop music writer, and one of the co-founders of a tech start-up company called GigsManila.

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