Ransomware costs government offices over 27 days downtime

Ransomware attacks are causing significant problems for government agencies, resulting in an average of over 27 days of downtime after an attack. This loss translates to around $84,000 per day, according to new research from Comparitech. Government offices tend to suffer more downtime than other sectors. For comparison, healthcare organizations experience about 16 days of downtime, while manufacturers see around 12 days. The research tracked over 1,000 confirmed ransomware incidents and highlighted a worrying trend. Researchers note that while fewer than half of these ransomware attacks result in payments, the total amounts paid in recent years have exceeded $1 billion. Attackers typically demand ransoms averaging $2.2 million, but it is often unclear whether these ransoms are paid. One group, RansomHub, has become particularly notorious. They are responsible for stealing over 730,000 records since 2018. Other groups, like ALPHV and Brain Cipher, have also stolen large amounts of data. RansomHub has even targeted major companies, including MetLife in 2025. The research points out that government agencies may be vulnerable due to limited budgets, making recovery after attacks difficult. Increasingly, these agencies are being targeted as critical infrastructure becomes a focus for those looking to disrupt public services.