Abstract: Ransomware threats lurk in cyberspace, seeking vulnerable critical infrastructure systems to infiltrate and disrupt. This study highlights the escalating complexity of these attacks and explores proactive defenses to fortify critical societal systems against digital threats. Delving into ransomware’s intensifying dangers, the study highlights the wide-ranging implications and challenges for critical infrastructure sectors essential to everyday life. Moreover, it analyzes the current threat landscape, scrutinizing attacker incentives and tactics and tracing the progression of attack patterns. To mitigate threats, the study extensively discusses diverse, resilient strategies reinforced by real-world examples that thwart the disruption of critical infrastructure. The recent incidents underscore the urgent need for robust mechanisms to ensure continuous operations. The study highlights emerging techniques and future trends in ransomware defense. This study enriches collective knowledge and promotes resilience amidst escalating threats from multiple attack vectors. It offers policymakers, industry leaders, and researchers integrated insights on the ransomware challenges undermining critical infrastructure and potential solutions. Implementing the robust cyber defenses discussed is crucial as increasingly sophisticated threats exploit vulnerabilities in the fragile digital systems societies rely upon.