Geopolitics, such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine, have contributed to more severe and pervasive computer threats in the year to July, according to a report released on Thursday by EU cybersecurity agency ENISA.
The analysis by ENISA comes in response to worries about the influence of state actors and the widening array of dangers facing organizations, governments, and vital industries, including banking, energy, transportation, and digital infrastructure.
According to the agency, geopolitical events during the period under study, particularly the Russian invasion of Ukraine, changed the game.
Zero-day exploits, which allow hackers to take advantage of software defects before developers had a chance to patch them, and misinformation and deepfakes powered by artificial intelligence led to more nefarious and pervasive assaults with more devastating effects, it claimed.
According to ENISA Executive Director Juhan Lepassaar, "Today's global environment is unavoidably driving huge changes in the cybersecurity threat landscape. The rising variety of threat actors creates the new paradigm."
According to the research, 13% of cyberattacks targeted digital service providers, while 24% targeted public administration and governments.
In May, the European Union approved stricter cybersecurity regulations for key industries, requiring businesses to evaluate their risks, inform the appropriate authorities, and take precautions against those risks—or else face fines of up to 2% of their worldwide sales.