Cybersecurity Month 2025 — The Year of Digital Defence
“The digital world is growing. So are the threats.”
The year 2025 demonstrated not only the opportunities that digitalisation offers humanity, but also how complex and global the threats we face have become. Cybersecurity Month highlighted how vulnerable individuals, governments, companies, and even nature are to digital threats. The issue is no longer just data protection; it is ensuring the sustainability of digital existence.
October is once again at the centre of the agenda with the traditional Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Under the umbrella of the European Union’s European Cybersecurity Month (ECM), the public, private sector and civil society continue to raise awareness through events, Course and campaigns that highlight digital risks.
New Cybersecurity Trends and Threats Facing Us in 2025
The year 2025 is drawing attention not only because of the increase in the number of threats, but also because they are becoming more complex and critical. The prominent threats are as follows:
- Artificial Intelligence-Powered Attacks Artificial intelligence technology is being used by attackers to personalise attacks, tailor social engineering methods to individuals, and conceal malicious software.
- Identity Theft There was a significant increase in identity theft cases in 2025. According to some sources, this increase reached 160%.
- Stolen Username / Password Combinations This type of information poses an extremely critical security risk as it provides direct access to systems.
- Ransomware and Double Extortion Tactics Attackers first encrypt data, then threaten to leak it publicly, applying a second stage of extortion. This method is called ‘double extortion’.
- New Hardware and Architectural Vulnerabilities New types of attacks, such as ‘Neuromorphic Mimicry Attacks,’ can perform covert operations by appearing harmless on systems that use structures similar to the human brain.
- Critical Vulnerabilities Targeting Network Infrastructure and Router Devices; For example, a serious security vulnerability was identified in the SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) module within the operating systems (IOS/IOS XE) used in Cisco’s network devices, and this vulnerability was exploited in real attacks.
- Vulnerabilities in Endpoint and Service Access Services such as cloud systems, virtual private networks (VPNs), and remote access solutions have become attractive targets for attackers. Threats such as denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, phishing, and identity theft are on the rise in these areas.
6 Effective Steps You Can Take to Contribute to Cybersecurity Month 2025
This month, you can take various steps to strengthen your personal digital security and raise awareness within your organisation.
- European Cybersecurity Month Webinars and Panels You can follow the global cybersecurity agenda by participating in events organised by the European Commission. European Commission – Cybersecurity Month 2025
- Create strong and unique passwords and secure your accounts with password manager tools.
- You can activate multi-factor authentication systems to add an extra layer of security to your accounts.
- You can measure your reflexes against digital threats by participating in phishing awareness tests.
- You can analyse your digital security status at the end of the month and create a personal or corporate action plan for 2026. ENISA – European Cybersecurity Month Resources
- You can research and plan cybersecurity Course and awareness courses for organisations and institutions for 2026.
Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities from 2025
The volume of cyberattacks increased in the second quarter of 2025, with the global average number of attacks per organisation rising to 1,984 per week, representing a 21% increase on an annual basis. Below are examples of some notable cyber attacks and breaches that occurred in 2025:
Date / Period | Target / Sector | Incident Summary |
June 2025 | United States — Food supply chain (UNFI) | Outage and data breach occurred in United Natural Foods Inc.’s systems. |
June 2025 | Retail (The North Face) | Customer information was stolen; credential data leaked. |
2025 | Airline / Airport systems (Europe) | Disruptions in check-in/boarding systems based on Collins Aerospace’s vMUSE due to a cyberattack. |
2025 | Network infrastructure / routing devices | Critical vulnerability in the SNMP module of Cisco IOS/IOS XE was actively exploited. |
The main objective this month is to promote a ‘cyber security culture’ among users, organisations, and technology professionals, to raise awareness of threats and share simple yet effective protection methods. In this context, we also offer certification programmes in the following areas:
CFECERT Cyber Security Courses.
- Information Security Management System; Awareness, Implementation, Lead Implementer, Internal Auditor, Lead Auditor Course
- Information Security Management System Transition Course (2013 to 2022)
- Information Security Risk Management Course
- Information Security Course for Cloud Services
- Personal Data Protection Course in the Cloud Environment
- Identity Authentication Assurance Course
- Road Vehicle Cyber Security Engineering Course
- Digital Operational Resilience (DORA) Compliance Course
- Banking Authority Risk Management Guidelines Course
- Management Systems Internal Auditor Course
- Cyber Security Leadership and Governance Course
- Cyber Security Awareness Course (for all employees)
- Ethical Hacker (White Hat Hacker) Course
- Secure Software Development Course
- Incident Response and Crisis Management Course
- Cybersecurity Operations Centre (SOC) Management Course
- Basic Cryptology and Data Encryption Course
- Business Continuity and Cyber Resilience Course
For details, please contact us at info@cfecert.co.uk.
