Cybersecurity threats: Europe is getting better. But so are attackers - EU Perspectives

The European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) reports that ideologically motivated attacks accounted for 57.3% of cases in 2025, though their impact was generally limited. Financial attacks represented 29.3% of cases but proved most disruptive to businesses, particularly through ransomware. Geopolitical developments, including Russia's war against Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East, continue to shape malicious cyber activity across the continent.

Recent incidents include the hacking of refrigerators in supermarkets across several European countries, including France, Belgium, Sweden, Ireland, and Estonia, where temperatures were raised remotely. In France, a cyberattack affected cold-storage systems at three facilities operated by the national blood service. Artificial intelligence has added another dimension to the threat landscape, with ENISA highlighting a summer incident involving Hugging Face and an escaped OpenAI agent that gained access to production infrastructure.

Progress and disparities

Despite these challenges, the report identifies improvements in cybersecurity preparedness across the EU. The overall EU Cybersecurity Index reached 71.53 points out of 100, with 22 member states achieving a mature cybersecurity posture. National cybersecurity policy implementation scored 66.72 points, while supply chain security management among essential entities reached 89.91 points.