A new survey reveals that the average large enterprise in Ireland paid €683,000 in cyber ransoms last year.
The suvey from global technology, engineering and consulting service provider Expleo found that large enterprises are living in fear of cybercrime, with 24% admitting that they expect to fall victim to an attack in the coming year.
It also reveals growing fears about state-sponsored attacks, with 63% saying such cyberterrorism is more of a risk to their business than it was a year ago.
These fears have made paying a ransom something that many are now preparing for, with 22% of large businesses setting aside budget for the payment of ransoms, averaging €2.7m each, Expleo said.
Large firms are also preparing to invest in boosting their defences, mainly in response to the proliferation of AI in cybercriminal activity.
30% of firms surveyed said they plan to increase investment in cybersecurity in direct response to a surge in AI-driven attacks. But this is a smaller proportion than the 41% of large enterprises who fell victim to an AI-powered cyberattack in the last 12 months.
Expleo said the most common successful method of attack is “whaling”, which sees cybercriminals specifically targeting senior executives, who often have access to valuable financial and sensitive information.
Exactly half of respondents said that a whaling attempt had resulted in a breach in their organisation in the last 12 months, while 85% said there had been at least one attempt.
Phil Codd, Managing Director for Ireland at Expleo, said that ransom demands are no longer just a threat – they are now a mainstay of cybersecurity strategies for organisations.
“The fallout from a cyberattack can be devastating for businesses, resulting in severe financial losses, compromised data, and reputational damage that can jeopardise long-term stability. Mitigating the risk is a constant task that must be undertaken,” he added.
Expleo surveyed 200 business and IT decision-makers in Ireland, in enterprises with more than 250 employees, as part of its Business Transformation Index 2025 report. The research aims to explore the key challenges facing businesses, including cybersecurity, this year.
