Verizon’s 2025 Data Breach Report reveals alarming surge in cyber threats

Verizon has released its annual Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR), analyzing over 22,000 security incidents and 12,195 confirmed breaches across 139 countries. The report highlights significant increases in ransomware attacks, vulnerability exploitation, and third-party involvement, underscoring the evolving cyber threat landscape.

Key findings

• Ransomware Escalation: Ransomware attacks have risen by 37% since last year, now present in 44% of breaches, despite a decrease in median ransom payments.

• Vulnerability Exploitation: Exploitation of vulnerabilities increased by 34%, with a notable focus on zero-day exploits targeting perimeter devices and VPNs.

• Third-Party Breaches: Breaches involving third parties have doubled to 30%, highlighting risks associated with supply chain and partner ecosystems.

• Human Element: Human involvement in breaches remains high, with significant overlap between social engineering and credential abuse.

Regional insights

• EMEA: System intrusion breaches in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region surged to 53%, nearly doubling from the previous year.

• APAC: In the Asia-Pacific region, system intrusions account for 80% of breaches, with malware present in 83% of cases.

Industry impact

The manufacturing and healthcare sectors have experienced a significant rise in espionage-motivated breaches, increasing from 3% to 20% year-over-year.

Call to action

The 2025 DBIR emphasizes the need for organizations to adopt proactive cybersecurity measures, including regular patch management, employee training, and robust third-party risk assessments.

For a comprehensive analysis, access the full report here.