Key Points
- Only 28 per cent of ransomware-hit organisations fully recovered all affected data
- 90 per cent of security leaders confident in recovery but 40 per cent faced actual losses
- AI adoption outpacing organisations’ ability to secure underlying data systems
Nine in ten security leaders believe their organisations can recover from cyberattacks within set timeframes, but fewer than three in ten ransomware victims actually recovered all their data, according to a survey of more than 900 security professionals across C-suite and frontline roles.
The findings expose a significant gap between perceived and actual cyber resilience, a concern particularly relevant for Indian enterprises as they accelerate digital transformation and AI adoption. The survey, detailed in the Data Trust and Resilience Report 2026 by Veeam Software, found that among organisations hit by ransomware in the past 12 months, only 28 per cent fully recovered affected data. Another 44 per cent recovered less than 75 per cent of their data.
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The disconnect extends beyond ransomware. Among all organisations that experienced a cyber incident in the past year, more than 40 per cent reported customer disruption or financial loss. Nearly three in ten experienced incidents that resulted in data loss, downtime or business disruption.
Confidence High but Testing Lacking
The survey found that 90 per cent of respondents said they were very to extremely confident they could recover from a cyber incident within their defined recovery time objectives. RTOs are the maximum acceptable time a system or process can be offline before causing unacceptable damage to business operations.
However, the report noted that this confidence often stems from having backup systems, policies or insurance in place rather than from validated testing under real-world conditions. When organisations do not routinely test recovery scenarios, they can overestimate readiness until an actual incident exposes the gaps.
According to the report, 69 per cent of respondents said their RTOs were fully aligned with business continuity goals. Yet operational outcomes suggest alignment on paper does not guarantee performance during an attack.
Ransomware Attacks Prove Costly
The ransomware statistics present a particularly stark picture. Among organisations that experienced a ransomware attack in the past 12 months, 56 per cent said attackers succeeded in encrypting or exfiltrating data. Of these affected organisations, only 28 per cent achieved full data recovery.
The remaining 72 per cent faced partial or significant data loss. Beyond the 44 per cent who recovered less than three-quarters of their data, another 29 per cent ended up with lasting data loss, extended downtime or ongoing business disruption.
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These outcomes carry direct financial implications. For Indian businesses handling sensitive customer data, compliance requirements under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 add regulatory consequences to operational and reputational damage from data breaches.
AI Adoption Widens the Gap
The report identifies artificial intelligence as a compounding factor in the resilience challenge. As organisations integrate AI into business operations, they introduce new data flows, new attack surfaces and new governance requirements.
In what the report terms the emerging agentic era, AI systems increasingly act on behalf of users, moving data and triggering actions with reduced direct human oversight. Agentic AI refers to systems that can autonomously make decisions and take actions to achieve goals, rather than simply responding to individual prompts.
According to the findings, AI adoption is moving faster than many organisations’ ability to secure and govern the underlying data. This widens the mismatch between perceived readiness and operational reality.
Four Capabilities Define Resilient Organisations
The report identified four characteristics shared by organisations with stronger recovery outcomes. These include clear visibility into where data lives and how it is used across the enterprise, enforced security controls rather than policy documentation alone, recovery capabilities that are tested and validated regularly and executive alignment around risk ownership and reporting.
The findings suggest that real resilience requires more than backup systems and insurance policies. Organisations need demonstrated recovery capability built through regular testing under realistic conditions.
Your Questions, Answered
What percentage of ransomware victims fully recover their data?
According to the survey, only 28 per cent of organisations hit by ransomware in the past 12 months fully recovered all affected data. Another 44 per cent recovered less than 75 per cent of their data.
Why are organisations overconfident about cyber recovery?
The report found confidence often stems from having backup systems, policies or insurance in place rather than from validated testing under real-world conditions. Without regular testing, gaps remain hidden until an actual incident occurs.
How does AI adoption affect cyber resilience?
AI introduces new data flows, attack surfaces and governance requirements. Agentic AI systems that act autonomously with less human oversight create additional risks. AI adoption is outpacing many organisations’ ability to secure underlying data.
What is a recovery time objective in cybersecurity?
A recovery time objective or RTO is the maximum acceptable time a system or process can remain offline after an incident before causing unacceptable damage to business operations. It is a key metric for disaster recovery planning.