"Hack Europe if you can": Which countries are the biggest targets for hackers?

How do hackers “enter through the front door”? While European institutions are betting on digitalization and automation, cybercriminals are using the same technologies to break down digital defenses. The new Microsoft Digital Defense Report 2025 makes it clear: the continent is under constant attack, and key countries such as the UK, Germany and Israel (included due to geopolitical ties) are among the most frequently attacked targets in the world.

The cyberattack of 2025: who is most vulnerable

Microsoft Threat Intelligence data shows that the UK is the second most affected country globally, with 5.6% of all detected cyberattacks, surpassed only by the United States.

Germany is in fourth place (3.3%), followed immediately by Ukraine – a country that remains a constant target of digital attacks related to war and geopolitical tensions.

Other EU countries, such as France, Italy, Poland and the Netherlands, are also noting increased pressure on critical infrastructure – banks, transport systems and healthcare.

“The Old Continent is now the new scene of the clash between AI and human vulnerability,” the report notes. Hacking groups, including state-backed entities from Russia, Iran and North Korea, are using artificial intelligence to create fake identities, automate phishing attacks and infiltrate cloud systems.

In 2025, 28% of all breaches began through phishing or social engineering—methods that exploit human psychology, not technology. Another 18% came from unpatched web services, and 12% from misconfigured remote access.

Microsoft warns that criminals are no longer "hacking" systems - they are logging in with real usernames and passwords stolen through infostealers and sold on the black market.

Artificial Intelligence: The Double-Edged Sword of Security

The report identifies 2025 as a turning point: AI is already being used for mass cyberattacks. Autonomous malware can adapt to defenses in real time, and “deepfakes” and synthetic voices are being used for business fraud.

At the same time, AI also helps defenders – Microsoft reports that new cyber defense algorithms allow for a response within seconds, which has already saved global companies from paralyzing attacks.

The most threatened sectors in Europe

On the continent, the most frequently attacked are:

Government Agencies and Services (17%)

IT companies and suppliers (17%)

Scientific and academic institutions (11%), which often work with sensitive research data and less secure networks

These sectors are becoming a “testing ground” for new hacking methods. Stolen identities are often used as a launching pad for attacks on banks, energy companies, and even government election and healthcare systems.

Europe tightens rules

Microsoft warns that more than half of cyberattacks are now financially motivated, not espionage. In response, the European Union is accelerating the implementation of the Cyber Resilience Act, a regulation that will require companies to report incidents and build in defenses “by design.”

The report recommends ten key steps, including:

cybersecurity to become part of management at the board level,

protect identities through phishing-resistant MFA,

cooperation between countries and companies in sharing intelligence.

Source: https://businessnovinite.bg/