The European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) recently warned of the growing complexity of digital threats within the EU. It highlighted the twin impact of geopolitical instability and breakthroughs in artificial intelligence.
In its latest biennial assessment covering 2025 and 2026, the agency describes the threat level during that period as ‘substantial’. According to ENISA, many organisations remained vulnerable to data breaches and attacks exploiting newly discovered vulnerabilities in systems.
Although the EU has made progress in strengthening its overall security framework, ENISA noted that the volatile digital environment requires greater preparedness and better cooperation across the Union. The report found that geopolitical tensions continue to shape patterns of cyberwarfare. A significant proportion of these incidents were driven by ideological motives, although they generally caused only minimal damage.
Hacktivist collectives were responsible for most of the activity, often using distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks to disrupt business services, transport networks and government agencies. Meanwhile, state-backed actors continued their espionage efforts, seeking to obtain intellectual property and strategic secrets from public institutions.
The integration of AI into cybercriminals’ arsenals has further increased these risks. ENISA found that AI is being used to refine traditional attack vectors, making it possible to create highly convincing phishing messages and sophisticated deepfake audio and video content.
Automation is also being used to identify vulnerabilities more quickly and develop malicious software. Fraudsters are also deploying generative AI to build deceptive websites. They use these to try to lure users into downloading malware or participating in scams in which criminals impersonate someone else.
To tackle these evolving dangers, the agency has outlined five key strategies to improve the EU’s resilience. These include strict enforcement of existing legislation, strengthening operational capabilities during emergencies and enhancing the protection of critical infrastructure.
The report also highlights the importance of reducing risks in supply chains and international dependencies. Citizens’ resilience must also be increased through education and skills development. Finally, ENISA called for more robust intelligence-sharing systems and a shared understanding of the threat landscape to enable a coordinated response to cyber crises.
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