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Thousands fall victim to ransomware as European attacks reach record highs -
here's why they're so at risk

Date:
Mon, 03 Nov 2025 11:05:24 +0000

Description:
European ransomware victims make up nearly 22% of global targets, report
claims.

FULL STORY

European companies are increasingly the targets of ransomware and extortion,
new research from CrowdStrike has claimed, with the region now accounting for
almost 22% of global ransomware victims, second only behind North America. 

Since 2024, over 2,100 victims have been posted on extortion leak sites 
across the continent - making European firms twice as likely to be targeted
than those in the Asia Pacific, and the view that richer companies can pay
higher ransoms makes them attractive targets. 

The strict GDPR regulations and heavy penalties that come with violations 
have created the perception that European companies are more likely to pay
ransom demands, with lucrative industries like manufacturing, professional
service, and technology most commonly targeted. 

Evolving threats

No matter where in the world you are, the ransom attack tactics and 
techniques usually stay pretty similar. Credentials are dumped from backups,
files are remotely encrypted, access is leveraged to unmanaged systems in
order to steal data and deploy the ransomware, and Linux ransomware on VMware
EsXI infrastructure is deployed. 

Although it's a common playbook, its quicker than ever for criminals to
execute this, with adversaries averaging just 35.5 hours between initial
access and ransomware deployment - meaning security teams are scrambling to
protect themselves after they detect an incident, even if they know what's
coming. 

Geopolitics plays an important role in European attacks, with the war in
Ukraine driving politically motivated hacktivist groups to target supporters
on each side, collecting information and disabling services. 

The cyber battlefield in Europe is more crowded and complex than ever, said
Adam Meyers, head of Counter Adversary Operations at CrowdStrike. 

Were seeing a dangerous convergence of criminal innovation and geopolitical
ambition, with ransomware crews using enterprise-grade tools and state-backed
actors exploiting global crises to disrupt, persist, and conduct espionage. 
In this high-stakes environment, intelligence-led defense powered by AI and
guided by human expertise is the only combination designed to stop cyber
threats.

======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/thousands-fall-victim-to-ransomware-as-
european-attacks-reach-record-highs-heres-why-theyre-so-at-risk

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