Germany's economy under siege with rising tide of cyberattacks

AFP and Global Watch | 2025-10-01

Germany's economy is facing an unprecedented wave of cyberattacks, with damages from data theft, industrial espionage and sabotage soaring to €289 billion ($338 billion) in 2025, a staggering 8% increase from the previous year, a report found.

Russia and China were identified as the primary sources of these attacks, targeting 9 out of 10 German companies, according to the results of a corporate survey on attacks such as data theft, industrial espionage and sabotage.

As the lines between cybercrime and state-sponsored espionage blur, the stakes for Germany's economic security have never been higher.

"Increasingly the trail leads to Russia and China," the BfV domestic intelligence agency and the Bitkom federation of digital businesses said on September 18.

"Foreign intelligence agencies are increasingly targeting the German economy," BfV Vice President Sinan Selen told a press conference.

Selen -- who is set to soon take over at the helm of the BfV -- said hostile foreign intelligence agencies were "becoming more professional, aggressive and agile."

'Disproportionate rise'

He said Chinese attacks are primarily "economic espionage" to gain technological advantages, while Russia's consist mainly of "sabotage" and spreading "disinformation."

Selen said state actors had been identified as being behind the attacks by 28% of the businesses concerned, as opposed to 20% last year.

Speaking alongside Selen, Bitkom President Ralf Wintergerst said attacks saw a "disproportionate rise when compared to German economic growth," which has been flatlining since 2023.

Out of the 1,002 businesses surveyed for the report, 87% said they had been targeted by such an attack, compared to 81% the year before.

While last year 39% of firms said they had been targeted by Russia, this year that number rose to 46%, with the same number reporting an attack from China.

The most effective method remained cyberattacks, often carried out with "ransomware," the overall cost of which has reached a new record high of 202 billion euros.

A defining moment

Selen gave the example of Kremlin-affiliated hackers known as Laundry Bear or Void Blizzard, which act against German political and economic targets.

Bitkom advised companies to devote 20% of their IT budgets to defending against these attacks.

The relentless surge in cyberattacks on Germany's economy is more than a wake-up call, it is a defining moment. The scale and sophistication of these threats are not just a challenge to individual companies but a direct assault on Germany's economic stability, innovation and global leadership. The stakes could not be higher.

Germany's response must be swift, decisive and forward-looking. This is not merely about defending against the next attack; it is about securing the nation's future in an increasingly digital world.

Cybersecurity must become a cornerstone of Germany's economic strategy, woven into the fabric of its digital transformation. The time to act is not tomorrow or next year, it is now. Every delay increases the risk of greater damage, deeper vulnerabilities and lost opportunities.