Cyber attacks are rising. Fast.
In the second quarter of 2025, entities around the world faced an average of 1,984 cyber attacks each week. This was revealed by new research from Check Point.
That’s a 21% increase from the same period last year, and 58% higher than two years ago. The upward trend is clear, but the regional and sector-specific data shows where the pressure is building most.
Europe saw the sharpest rise, with attacks jumping 22% year over year. The region’s mix of geopolitical friction, regulatory fragmentation, and a high concentration of sensitive data is proving irresistible to bad actors.
Africa, APAC, and Latin America reported the highest attack volumes per organization, but it was Europe’s growth rate that stood out. The U.S. and Canada weren’t spared either. North America logged a 20% increase in weekly attacks.
“The sharp increase in cyberattacks this quarter highlights just how quickly the threat landscape is evolving, even here in the UK,” said Mark Weir, regional director, UK & Ireland at Check Point Software. “With sectors like education, government, and telecommunications under constant pressure, organisations must prioritise prevention, strengthen visibility across their networks, and stay ahead of attackers before disruptions occur.”
Education Remains the Prime Target
Some sectors stand out as perennial targets. Chief among them: education.
Educational institutions dealt with an average of 4,388 weekly attacks per organisation, a 31% year-over-year spike. That’s more than double the global average.
Why the interest? Education systems often have large, diverse user bases and limited security budgets. They store a wealth of personal information. And they’re under pressure to stay connected, leaving little room for downtime or hesitation.
Government bodies ranked second, with 2,632 weekly attacks per organisation, up 26%. The telecoms sector came close behind with a 38% increase. It’s no surprise. Telcos are critical infrastructure. They carry everything, connect everyone. Disruption here hits hard and fast.
Ransomware Still Dominates
Ransomware hasn’t gone anywhere. If anything, it’s becoming more visible.
About 1,600 ransomware incidents were reported in Q2, based on disclosures from double-extortion leak sites. That number doesn’t capture every case, but it gives a sense of scale.
More than half of these attacks hit North America. A quarter struck Europe.
The most affected industries were business services, industrial manufacturing, and construction. Healthcare, consumer goods, and financial services weren’t far behind.
These targets share two things: data worth stealing and operations that can’t afford to stop.
What’s Driving the Surge?
Behind the numbers, patterns are emerging.
Malefactors are increasingly strategic. They exploit weak spots in essential services. They move fast and hit hard. They know where defences are stretched thin.
The rise in Europe points to broader geopolitical drivers. Conflicts don’t stay on battlefields, they spill into digital spaces. Fragmented regulations and inconsistent enforcement only widen the attack surface.
How to Respond
This isn’t a temporary wave, but the new baseline. Entities need to move from reactive to preventive.
Start with layered defences. Use intrusion prevention systems. Harden endpoints. Monitor networks. Back up everything, securely and often.
Train staff, run simulations, and recognise that human error remains a top vulnerability. Adopt zero trust, no implicit permissions, verify every access point, and segment every connection.
And stay informed. Cyber threats don’t sleep. Neither should your threat intelligence.
Information Security Buzz News Editor
Kirsten Doyle has been in the technology journalism and editing space for nearly 24 years, during which time she has developed a great love for all aspects of technology, as well as words themselves. Her experience spans B2B tech, with a lot of focus on cybersecurity, cloud, enterprise, digital transformation, and data centre. Her specialties are in news, thought leadership, features, white papers, and PR writing, and she is an experienced editor for both print and online publications.
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