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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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