Global Cyber Attacks Surge 70% as AI Accelerates Threat Landscape
Event summary
- Global cyber attacks averaged 1,968 per week in 2025, a 70% increase since 2023.
- 89% of organizations encountered risky AI prompts, with 1 in 41 classified as high risk.
- Ransomware victims increased by 53% YoY, with a 50% rise in new ransomware-as-a-service groups.
- ClickFix techniques surged 500%, exploiting fraudulent technical prompts.
- 40% of 10,000 Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers reviewed showed security weaknesses.
The big picture
Check Point's 2026 Cyber Security Report highlights a fundamental shift in the cyber threat landscape, driven by AI's ability to accelerate attack workflows and enable more sophisticated, coordinated campaigns. The decentralization of ransomware operations and the increasing exploitation of edge and infrastructure weaknesses underscore the need for organizations to adopt prevention-first security strategies. As AI becomes more embedded in business workflows, the digital workspace is emerging as a critical trust layer for attackers to exploit, necessitating a rethinking of security strategies.
What we're watching
- AI Security Shift
- How AI will further automate and scale cyber attacks, forcing organizations to revalidate security foundations.
- Ransomware Fragmentation
- Whether the decentralization of ransomware groups will sustain the 53% YoY increase in extorted victims.
- Digital Workspace Vulnerabilities
- The pace at which attackers will exploit AI-embedded browsers, SaaS platforms, and collaboration tools.
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