In the first half of 2025, 36% of cyberattacks were aimed at espionage, a record high, according to BI.ZONE. For comparison, in 2023, this share was only 15%. In addition, hacktivism, ideologically motivated attacks, has also intensified, now accounting for 20% of the total.
The most vulnerable were government agencies (29% of all espionage attacks), as well as engineering, IT, and industrial companies. Experts note that the increase in such attacks is directly related to geopolitics, and many of them go unnoticed because attackers use advanced, including unique, tools.
Why this matters: Cyber espionage leads not only to financial but also to reputational losses. Leaking source codes, engineering drawings, or formulas is the actual transfer of technological advantage to competitors without the cost of development.
If a hacker works on commission, they can monetize twice: give the customer the information they are interested in and, in parallel, steal money, accounts, personal data
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