Ransomware poses a significant and growing threat to organizations, exacerbated by the widespread shift to remote work, which has expanded attack surfaces. The persistent nature of ransomware attacks not only causes immediate operational downtime, often averaging 21 days, but also inflicts broader societal impacts, particularly evident in critical sectors like healthcare and local government. These attacks undermine trust in public institutions and can even affect municipal bond security. Victims sometimes resort to paying ransoms, which inadvertently strengthens the adversary ecosystem, highlighting a cycle of unpreparedness and financial incentive for attackers. To combat this, organizations should invest in advanced endpoint protection and maintain robust backups to recover without paying ransoms, while a collective effort from security firms, insurers, and policymakers is necessary to shift the narrative from isolated incidents to a comprehensive understanding of ransomware's widespread effects.