{"id":222,"slug":"verizon-dbir-2025-88pct-smb-ransomware","title":"Verizon DBIR 2025: 88% of SMB breaches involved ransomware vs 39% of enterprise; median ransom $115k","kind":"reference","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","smb-owner","candid-team"],"topics":["b2b-buying","security-vulnerabilities"],"reference_body":"**Claims (Verizon 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report, April 2025):**\n\n- **88% of SMB breaches** contained a ransomware component vs **39% of enterprise breaches**\n- Median ransom payment: **US$115,000**\n- \"Third-party involvement in breaches has doubled to 30%, and exploitation of vulnerabilities has surged by 34%\"\n- 22,052 security incidents documented; 12,195 confirmed breaches — the highest count on record\n\n**Source:** <https://www.verizon.com/about/news/2025-data-breach-investigations-report>; Keepnet, ShieldNet, Versa secondary coverage.\n\n**Confidence:** Verified.\n\n**Implication for Candid SMB clients:** Small businesses bear a structurally **higher share** of the worst breach class. A WordPress site without active patching discipline is not \"lower-risk because we're small\" — it's higher-risk *because* the attack economics target the under-maintained tail. The $115k median ransom is the real reference number for \"what does an abandoned site eventually cost?\"","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[{"slug":"sucuri-2023-39pct-cms-outdated-at-infection","title":"Sucuri 2023: 39.1% of CMS apps outdated at point of infection (down from 50.58% in 2022)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}],"incoming":[{"slug":"ten-year-cost-model-rebuild-vs-foundation","title":"Reference framework: 10-year cost model — rebuild-every-3-years vs foundation-first (Canadian SMB, CAD)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"research-brief-built-to-last","title":"Research brief: Built to Last — why most SMB sites rebuild every 3-4 years (piece 5 of 15)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}]},"created_at":"2026-05-22T19:58:12.825Z","updated_at":"2026-05-22T19:58:12.825Z"}