ATHENS, Oct 1: Cyberattacks on Europe’s digital infrastructure are increasing, with ransomware identified as the most disruptive threat, according to a European Union (EU) report released on Wednesday, reported German Press Agency (dpa).
The latest report by the EU Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) said ransomware, a type of malware that effectively takes victims’ computers or stored data hostage, is causing severe damage.
After infection, important files or even entire systems are typically encrypted or locked, making access impossible. The perpetrators then demand a ransom – usually in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin – and promise to lift the lock or encryption after payment.
A ransomware infection also caused recent computer disruptions at several European airports, including Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) and London Heathrow.
The damage caused by hacker attacks is often immense, as victims frequently fail to restore their systems from backups.
In terms of numbers, however, so-called Distributed Denial-of-Service or DDoS attacks top the ENISA report, accounting for 77 per cent of reported incidents.
In these attacks, perpetrators overwhelm victims’ servers with massive amounts of data requests, causing them to crash and stop functioning.
The damage from DDoS attacks is often less severe than ransomware attacks, as servers typically resume functioning after the temporary assault ends. Most DDoS attacks are carried out by “hacktivists,” with cybercriminals playing a smaller role.
The analysis is based on 4,875 incidents between July 2024 and June 2025, ENISA stated in Athens.
ENISA Director Juhan Lepassaar said, “The increasing reliance on digital systems means that disruptions can affect entire supply chains.”
–BERNAMA-dpa