2025 proved hackers aren’t slowing down – and neither should you

Supply chain attacks also continued to rise across Europe, following a broader global trend. While many sectors faced large numbers of data breaches, manufacturing was consistently the most targeted industry for both supply chain attacks and ransomware during 2025. This had ripple effects on related sectors, especially automotive, due to how tightly connected these industries are.

The scale of the problem became impossible to ignore after an August attack on Jaguar Land Rover. The breach, linked to a group known as “Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters,” is estimated to have caused around £1.9 billion (around $2.55 billion when directly converted) in damage to the UK economy.

What’s especially notable is that Jaguar Land Rover itself wasn’t directly attacked. Instead, threat actors used social engineering to compromise a third-party IT helpdesk. The fallout shut down global manufacturing operations for more than a month and impacted around 5,000 small UK businesses that depend on the automaker. To date, it’s considered the most economically damaging cyber event in UK history.

Transportation systems also showed how vulnerable they can be. In September, a ransomware attack on Collins Aerospace, a provider of critical boarding and check-in software, disrupted major airports including London Heathrow, Brussels, and Berlin. With digital systems unavailable, airlines had to fall back on manual, paper-based processes, affecting travel for thousands of passengers.

Geopolitical tensions continued to play out online as well. The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict spilled further into cyberspace, with the pro-Russian group NoName057(16) increasing DDoS attacks against German banks and municipal government websites in response to European support for Ukraine.

Why cyber threats aren’t slowing down

All of this makes one thing clear: cyberattacks aren’t easing up. If anything, they are accelerating. Analysts point out that attackers are increasingly exploiting trust-based relationships between partners and suppliers.

To push back, the report recommends moving toward a Zero Trust model. This approach assumes no user or device is automatically safe and limits how far malware can spread by containing it within isolated parts of a network.

What this means for you

Now, while most of these incidents don’t directly target individuals, that doesn’t mean you can ignore them. You still need to be careful about what you click and where you share your information. As I mentioned earlier, cybercriminals, especially with the help of AI, are getting far more creative when it comes to stealing identities, money, and entire digital lives.

So, it is wise to always pause before clicking links in emails or messages. Ask yourself who’s sending it and whether you actually know them. Many AI-driven scams work by creating a sense of urgency. If a message pressures you to act or pay immediately, stop and reach out to the person or company using a trusted method, like a saved phone number or official website, instead of clicking the link.

It’s also time to move past basic passwords and adopt a more layered security approach. Passkeys are a solid starting point. Still, more than anything, critical thinking matters. In my opinion, staying alert and questioning what you see online is one of the simplest and most effective defenses you can use right now.