Microsoft has published its Digital Defense Report 2025, which found that over 52% of all cyberattacks worldwide are aimed at extortion or use ransomware. Only 4% of attacks are related to cyberespionage.
Every day, the company processes more than 100 trillion security alerts, blocks 4.5 million malware infections, and scans up to 5 billion emails for phishing threats. Microsoft says that artificial intelligence is accelerating both the creation of phishing attacks and the means to detect them.
In the first half of 2025, Ukraine ranked fifth in the world and third in Europe among the countries most frequently affected by cyberattacks. It accounted for about 9.5% of all recorded incidents in the European region. According to Microsoft representative Renate Strazdina, the country is demonstrating rapid development in the field of cyber defense and is building "digital resilience that inspires far beyond its borders."
Hospitals, schools, and local governments, which often have limited resources for cybersecurity, are among the primary targets of attackers. Microsoft emphasizes the need to modernize security systems and implement multi-factor authentication (MFA), which can prevent over 99% of account attacks.
Microsoft notes that most attacks are now carried out by organized cybercriminals who exploit vulnerabilities for financial gain. In 80% of cases, their goal is to steal data. Despite the dominance of cybercriminals, state entities from China, Russia, Iran and North Korea continue to carry out attacks - from espionage to attempts to obtain financial gain.
Microsoft is calling on governments and companies to work together more closely, strengthen security standards, and share threat analytics as part of the Secure Future Initiative.