Global Cyberattacks Surge 143% in Four Years: Check Point Reveals Escalating Threat Landscape

Amid the relentless surge of digital threats, companies across the globe find themselves under a barrage of cyberattacks. According to the latest data from Check Point Research, each organization now endures an average of 1,984 attacks per week—a staggering 143% increase compared to four years ago. In the second quarter of 2025 alone, attack volumes rose by 21% year-over-year, 58% compared to 2023, and nearly two and a half times since 2021.

Educational institutions have become particularly frequent targets, registering an average of 4,388 weekly attacks—a 31% rise over the past year. As the Check Point team notes, these organizations often suffer from chronically underfunded security systems, while also housing vast troves of sensitive data on students and faculty—making them especially enticing targets.

Government entities remain in the crosshairs as well, facing an average of 2,632 weekly attacks. These agencies possess mission-critical information and represent strategic targets for political leverage. Similarly, the telecommunications sector experiences approximately 2,612 attacks per week, drawing interest due to its pivotal role in national infrastructure and subscriber data management.

Based on intelligence gathered from more than 150,000 networks and millions of endpoints, the sharpest uptick in attack volume was observed in Europe, which saw a 22% year-over-year increase. North America followed closely with a 20% rise. While European organizations receive an average of 1,669 attacks weekly, the rapid growth rate suggests that hackers are exploiting regional tensions, legislative inconsistencies, and a dense concentration of high-value data.

However, Africa recorded the highest volume of attacks—3,365 per week—followed by the Asia-Pacific region at 2,874. Despite facing fewer attacks numerically, North American companies remain the most frequent victims of the most devastating ransomware incidents, accounting for 53% of all reported cases. Europe represents 25%, while Asia accounts for 11%.

Financially motivated criminal groups tend to target firms in the business services sector (10.7% of all ransomware attacks), industrial manufacturing (9.8%), construction and engineering (9.5%), healthcare (7.8%), and consumer goods and services (7.6%).

Check Point analysts warn that there is no indication of a reprieve on the horizon. To withstand this new era of cyber risk, organizations must go beyond reactive measures and embrace a proactive defense posture—one anchored in multilayered architectures and continuous threat monitoring.