Cyber resilience is one of the greatest competitive advantages of the modern age:

Butzbach, September 2, 2025 – RIEDEL Networks, provider of customized IT security and network services, has published its latest report with over 100 documented IT security incidents from the first half of 2025, ranging from phishing and zero-day attacks to supply chain vulnerabilities, and shows how companies can protect themselves. Experts assume that the number of unreported incidents is significantly higher, as many security incidents remain undetected or are not reported.

The report makes it clear that cyber attacks continue to increase and are becoming an existential threat for companies and public institutions alike. Ransomware remains the dominant risk – often combined with double extortion and, in the worst case, threatening insolvency. At the same time, it is clear that neither critical authorities nor small businesses are protected against attacks. Many data breaches are still caused by unpatched vulnerabilities and a lack of access controls. In addition, there are new gateways such as compromised social media accounts and the growing combination of physical and digital attacks.

"The demands on cyber resilience have never been as high as they are today. Many companies are barely able to cope with their daily threats and risk not only attacks, but also considerable reputational and consequential damage," warns Michael Martens, CEO of RIEDEL Networks. "It is now crucial that companies consistently modernize their security strategies and actively invest in robust protection measures."

Key findings of the report:

• Ransomware continues to dominate: At 38%, the proportion has fallen slightly (45% in H1-2024) – ransomware remains the dominant threat ahead of data theft (22%), while security vulnerabilities, DDoS and new forms of attack are on the rise.
• Cybercriminals are the largest group of attackers (71%, compared to 40% in H1-2024): Cybercrime is increasingly financially motivated, while extortionists and state actors are clearly losing influence.
• Industry and IT particularly affected: Cyberattacks are increasingly affecting industry (26 percent), IT (18 percent) and public institutions (17 percent), while the financial sector (10 percent, compared to 28 percent in H1-2024) and healthcare (8 percent, compared to 22 percent in H1-2024) are becoming noticeably less important.
• Social media takeovers as a gateway: The compromise of Instagram accounts of large organizations shows that even supposedly "banal" platforms can cause considerable damage.

RIEDEL Networks has analyzed the areas of damage resulting from the report and provides companies with specific recommendations for action to protect themselves effectively against these threats. H1-2025 makes it clear that cyber attacks are no longer an isolated IT problem: Highly organized, financially driven groups operate across industries, combine ransomware, data theft and social engineering with targeted physical access and find their opportunities where technology, processes and people are not equally geared towards resilience.

The aim of the report is not to pillory the companies concerned, but to derive valuable insights and best practices. It is intended to support its readers in improving their security measures and minimizing their own risk of such incidents. For this reason, RIEDEL Networks deliberately refrains from naming specific companies in the report.

The full OOPS Report H1-2025 is now available for download here. https://lp.riedel-networks.net/oops-h1-2025-report

About RIEDEL Networks:

RIEDEL Networks is a privately owned, global network provider focused on tailormade networks. We are listed in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Global WAN Services as a niche provider specializing in medium-sized international companies and the media and events sector. With our own global backbone, we help companies to be networked worldwide. Our services include Internet connections, MPLS, SD-WAN, SASE, Cloud Connect, security and much more. Our customers come from various industries and appreciate quality, safety and reliability. RIEDEL Networks is a 100% owned company of the RIEDEL Communications Group in Wuppertal, Germany, and is fully privately owned by Thomas Riedel.

Agency:

Monika Köhler / Moritz Wolff

HARVARD Engage! Communications GmbH

Tel: +49 89 53 29 57 47

E-Mail: riedelnetworks@harvard.de