Europe sees cyberattacks surge amid geopolitical tensions

Cybercriminals now target global organizations with an average of 1,984 cyberattacks every week, a 143% jump in four years, data from Check Point Research reveals.

In the second quarter of 2025, organizations globally suffered 21% more cyberattacks than the same period last year, 58% more than two years ago, and a whopping 2.4 times more compared to four years ago.

While the average number of weekly cyberattacks reached 1,984, it varies widely between different sectors and regions.

Education organizations lead the charts, as they are targeted by an average of 4,388 weekly cyberattacks, a 31% increase from the year before.

The education sector experienced sustained pressure due to underfunded security defences and “the tempting wealth of student and staff credentials, ripe for exploitation,” Check Point’s report reads.

“Government organizations remain attractive targets, with their sensitive data and ability to provide geopolitical leverage,” the researchers said.

“Meanwhile, the telecommunications sector saw a significant increase, highlighting its critical role in national infrastructure, and the potential targeting of sensitive customer information.”

Hackers targeted government organizations with 2,632 cyberattacks, while telecoms were probed 2,612 times every week. Check Point gathers data from over 150,000 networks and millions of endpoints.

Regionally, cyberattacks grew the most in Europe, while North America was second: the yearly changes were 22% and 20% respectively.

“While Europe’s average volume was not the highest (1,669), it did show the largest YoY increase, at 22%, indicating an upward trend in threat activity within the region, as attackers exploit geopolitical tensions, regulatory fragmentation, and the region’s high concentration of highly valuable data,” the researchers said.

African organizations receive the most (3,365) cyberattacks every week, followed by Asia-Pacific (2,874).

North American companies suffer the largest share of the most devastating ransomware attacks. Approximately 1,600 ransomware incidents were reported globally, and 53% of them landed on this continent.

One in four ransomware attacks hit European companies, while Asia-Pacific’s share was 11%.

Financially motivated ransomware affiliates mostly targeted business services (10.7%), industrial manufacturing (9.8%), construction and engineering (9.5%), healthcare and medical (7.8%), and consumer goods and services (7.6%) sectors.

No relief is expected.

“As cyberattacks grow in volume and reach, organizations need to be proactive, not reactive. A prevention-first strategy, supported by layered defenses and continuous visibility, remains key,” Check Point said.