A new report from Halcyon is raising fresh concerns about enterprise ransomware preparedness, identifying what it calls a growing “ransomware gap” between security leaders’ confidence and their organizations’ actual defensive capabilities.
Based on a survey of 100 CISOs and senior security executives, the study—The Ransomware Gap in the AI Era—finds near-universal confidence in ransomware detection. Yet that confidence appears increasingly misplaced. Nearly half (49%) of organizations that experienced a ransomware attack said they detected the incident too late to prevent meaningful damage.
The findings point to a structural misalignment: while security teams believe they are ready, adversaries—armed with AI—are moving faster and with greater precision.
“Perceived readiness doesn’t stop an attack—capability does,” said Jon Miller, CEO and co-founder of Halcyon, in a statement accompanying the report. “Without a clear understanding of actual resilience, organizations risk falling further behind.”
AI Tilts the Threat Landscape
The report underscores how artificial intelligence is accelerating the evolution of ransomware—and disproportionately benefiting attackers.
According to the data, 74% of respondents believe their organizations are more exposed to ransomware due to AI advancements. Meanwhile, 78% say AI has made attacks more effective, compared to just 6% who believe it has significantly improved defensive capabilities.
This 13-to-1 imbalance highlights a growing asymmetry in the cyber threat landscape, where adversaries are leveraging automation, evasion techniques, and adaptive attack patterns faster than enterprises can operationalize AI in defense.
The ‘Trust Paradox’ in Endpoint Security
One of the report’s more revealing findings centers on a disconnect between reliance and trust in core security tools.
While 98% of organizations report using endpoint detection and response (EDR) platforms as a primary ransomware defense, only 25% of security leaders say they fully trust those tools to stop modern attacks.
This “trust paradox” is further reinforced by operational impact data: 89% of respondents said ransomware incidents have affected their business, with nearly half reporting moderate to significant disruption.
The implication is clear—traditional detection-centric approaches may be insufficient against increasingly sophisticated ransomware campaigns that bypass or outmaneuver endpoint controls.
Boardroom Pressure Reshaping Cyber Investments
Ransomware has also become a top-tier business risk, drawing heightened scrutiny from executive leadership and boards of directors.
The report finds that 97% of security leaders have been asked by their boards about ransomware defense strategies, with 64% ranking ransomware among their top three organizational priorities—and 35% identifying it as the number-one concern.
That scrutiny is translating directly into spending decisions. Roughly 74% of respondents said board-level inquiries are significantly influencing anti-ransomware investments, while 91% cited recent high-profile incidents as a key driver of purchasing behavior.
“Boards are asking sharper, more specific questions,” said Gary Hayslip, field CISO at Halcyon. “Security leaders need to be able to respond with confidence—and that starts with demonstrable resilience, not just tooling.”
Closing the Gap
The report ultimately frames the “ransomware gap” as a strategic challenge rather than a purely technical one. As AI continues to accelerate attack sophistication, organizations must reassess not only their tools, but also their assumptions about readiness.
For many enterprises, that will require moving beyond detection toward more proactive, lifecycle-based approaches that address ransomware before execution, during lateral movement, and at the point of data exfiltration.
Without that shift, the gap between confidence and capability is likely to widen—leaving organizations increasingly exposed in an AI-driven threat environment.