Across the EU, the rate of breaches at any time is more or less consistent with the rest of the world, at only one percent higher than the global average. However, there is significant variation by country. Out of the four individual countries Thales focused on, the UK and Germany had the lowest incidence of breaches, at 54%, while Sweden reported the highest, at 77%.

This is believed to be evidence that while the UK and Germany have been popular targets for some time, and so have seen improved defences, all countries are now considered “fair game” meaning Sweden and to a lesser extent The Netherlands must play catch up when it comes to cybersecurity.

When it comes to the specific cybersecurity threats, European businesses are concerned about a wide selection of issues. However, there are some notable differences in which risk factors are perceived to be the most severe when compared to the global average.

While many European companies are deploying new technology as part of an ongoing drive towards digital transformation, the level of confidence in the security of these projects is notably lower than the rest of the world.

Across the EU, only 55% of companies believe their new technology deployments are very or extremely secure, compared to a global average of 66%. This number is even worse in some parts of the EU, with only the UK having a similar rate of confidence to the global average.