Increasing incidences of data theft, espionage, and sabotage pose a growing threat to German businesses.
The aftermath of the assaults saw an all-time high in damages, totaling 266 billion euros. Previously, this threshold was surpassed in 2021 with 223.5 billion euros.
Based on research conducted by criminal enterprises, the majority of firms attributed these attacks to their activities. Foreign intelligence agencies were named as the culprit by 20% of businesses – a substantial increase compared to 2023, when only 7% of companies acknowledged such involvement.
China, according to the survey, emerges as the primary origin for attacks confronting the German economy: 45% of the damaged companies could pinpoint at least one attack to China, as reported by Bitkom. Russia comes in second place with 39%. Intriguingly, attacks from nations outside the EU and Russia in Eastern Europe saw a rise to 32%.
Other nations outside the EU and Russia in Eastern Europe also witnessed an increase in attacks, accounting for 32% of the total, similarly surpassing the 2023 figures. Companies often struggle to categorize these attacks, as they fall under the category of 'Other' damage sources.
