Halcyon Survey Reveals Critical 'Ransomware Gap' as AI-Powered Attacks Outpace Enterprise Defenses

New findings reveal overwhelming confidence in the ability to detect attacks, yet nearly half of victims admit to detecting an attack too late to prevent damage

AUSTIN, Texas, March 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Halcyon, the leading anti-ransomware platform, today released a new report, "The Ransomware Gap in the AI Era."  The findings reveal a dangerous disconnect between the high confidence security leaders place in their tools and the stark reality of ransomware's growing impact on modern organizations.

The survey of 100 CISOs and senior security executives found that while nearly all leaders feel prepared to defend against ransomware, the underlying data tells a different story. A "Ransomware Gap" has emerged, creating a widening divide between an organization's perceived security readiness and actual resilience against today's AI-powered ransomware threats. As attackers leverage AI to develop more sophisticated, evasive, and damaging campaigns, defenders are left relying on tools that cannot keep up with a rapidly evolving threat landscape.

"Ransomware is one of the most pervasive and debilitating attacks a business can face, and AI is only exacerbating its impact. This ransomware gap is troubling because perceived readiness to detect, respond to, and recover from an attack doesn't help during an attack – actual capability is the only thing that matters. Security teams need tools they can rely on that give them a full understanding of their ransomware resilience; otherwise, this dangerous divide will only widen." — Jon Miller, CEO and Co-founder, Halcyon

Key findings include:

• While virtually all security leaders (99%) express confidence in their ability to detect ransomware attacks, only 49% of victims admit they detected their last attack too late to prevent significant damage.
• Seventy-four percent of leaders say their organizations are now more exposed to ransomware due to AI advancements.
• Ninety-seven percent of leaders report being asked by their board or executive leadership about their defense strategy, with 64% ranking ransomware among their top three business priorities and 35% calling it their number-one priority.

Additional trends from the report:

The trust paradox

While 98% of organizations rely on Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) for ransomware defense, only 25% of security leaders actually trust it to defend against today's evolving ransomware threats. Furthermore, 89% of respondents reported some impact on business operations due to ransomware, with 49% experiencing moderate to significant disruption. These results show a clear discrepancy between the theoretical prevention abilities of primary defensive tools and their real-world capabilities in ransomware protection and recovery.

Attackers are winning the AI arms race

AI is disproportionately benefiting threat actors over defenders. While 78% of security leaders say AI has made ransomware attacks more effective, only 6% believe AI has meaningfully improved their own defenses – a striking 13-to-1 asymmetry.

Board scrutiny is driving investment decisions

Board-level questions about ransomware defense are directly influencing purchasing behavior: 74% say board inquiries are significantly shaping anti-ransomware investments, and 91% report that recent high-profile ransomware incidents are moderately or significantly influencing their buying decisions.

"Boards are asking sharper, more specific questions about the cybersecurity threat landscape and ransomware specifically. When almost all security leaders say their board is asking about ransomware defense strategy, and that scrutiny is directly shaping investment decisions, it tells you something has fundamentally changed. Security leaders need to be prepared to answer those questions with confidence, and that starts with having tools that deliver the resilience boards are demanding." — Gary Hayslip, Field CISO, Halcyon

Halcyon commissioned this research using an online survey prepared by Method Research and distributed by Rep Data. The survey was distributed to 100 Chief Information Security Officers, Heads of Security Operations, SVPs/VPs of Information Security or Cybersecurity, and other security leadership roles in the United States from January 5 to February 12, 2026.

To download the full report, click here.

About Halcyon

Halcyon, the leading anti-ransomware solution provider, is purpose-built to defeat ransomware attacks. Our technology takes an end-to-end approach to proactively disrupt threats at every stage of the attack lifecycle, from pre-execution to data exfiltration and encryption. With a 24/7 expert team that does the heavy lifting for you, and a robust ransomware warranty, Halcyon eliminates the need for ransom payments, ensures operational continuity, and protects businesses from data extortion. Learn more at halcyon.ai.

SOURCE Halcyon