Why Global Cyber Attacks Jumped 44% in 2025: Key Findings from Check Point’s Security Report

Check Point released its 2025 Cybersecurity Report in January, analyzing data from 170 countries. The report shows a 44% year‑over‑year increase in global cyber‑attack incidents, driven by a more mature threat ecosystem and the growing use of generative AI by attackers.

Key Findings

Ransomware evolution: Data‑leak extortion now surpasses encryption‑based ransomware, with the healthcare sector becoming the second most targeted industry and experiencing a 47% rise in attacks.

Edge device abuse: Compromised routers, VPNs and other edge devices serve as primary footholds; over 200,000 devices are controlled by large‑scale botnets such as Raptor Train.

Vulnerability neglect: In 2024, 96% of exploit attacks leveraged vulnerabilities disclosed the previous year, underscoring the need for proactive patch management.

Targeted sectors: Education remained the top attack target for the fifth consecutive year, with a 75% increase in incidents.

BYOD risk: Personal devices now account for more than 70% of infected endpoints, and information‑theft malware attacks rose by 58%.

Recommendations for CISOs

Strengthen BYOD security by enforcing strict policies and deploying endpoint protection.

Invest in AI‑driven threat intelligence to detect misinformation attacks and emerging threats.

Accelerate patch management to remediate known vulnerabilities before they are exploited.

Secure edge devices—including routers, VPNs and IoT gear—to prevent them from becoming attack “transit stations.”

Enhance incident‑response capabilities with comprehensive playbooks and continuous monitoring.

The report also notes that Check Point’s research team, comprising over 100 analysts, continuously collects and analyzes global threat data through its ThreatCloud platform, providing intelligence to customers and the broader security community.