The security company Orange Cyber Defense presents its report Security Navigator 2025, which highlights a dramatic shift in the global cyber threat landscape over the past year. Previously relatively spared sectors, such as healthcare and social services, have become priority targets for cybercriminals, while AI technology is creating increasingly sophisticated “deepfake” attacks from state actors in China, Russia and Iran.

Health and Social Services – A Growing Target

According to the report, cyberattacks against the healthcare and social services sector increased by a whole 50 percent globally during the year. This places the sector as the fourth most affected, which is an alarming development.

At the same time, it is noted that cyber extortion targeted at small businesses increased by 53 percent. This trend shows that no business, regardless of size, is spared from the advances of threat actors.

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Increased Attacks Against Industry, Trade and Research

Other key insights from the report:

• Manufacturing industry experienced an increase in attacks with 25 percent.
• Attacks against research and technical services step with 20 percent.
• The attacks within trade increased most dramatically – with 65 percent.

These figures underscore that all industries are potential targets for cyber threats.

AI: A Gamechanger for Cyber Threats and Defense

The AI trend has had a major impact on the global cyber threat landscape. Threat actors linked to China, Russia and Iran are using Generative AI to create credible phishing campaigns and deepfakes, which contributes to increased disinformation and distrust of governments.

On the other hand, AI-based security systems have become better at identifying threats, such as beaconing attacks where malware sends subtle signals to affect servers. AI technology enabled a 30 percent increase of threats detected in the last year.

Increased Vulnerabilities and the Need for Education

An important conclusion from Security Navigator 2025 is that the increased use of AI brings greater vulnerabilities to businesses. The report emphasizes that continuous software review and employee training are crucial to protecting sensitive data and systems.

A Paradigm Shift in Cybercriminal Attitudes

Peter Larsson, CTO at Orange Cyber Defense, summarizes the new threat landscape:

“Previously relatively peaceful sectors – such as healthcare – are now popular targets, which reveals the increasing ruthlessness of the attackers“The use of AI by state-sponsored hacking groups to create effective manipulation campaigns is extremely concerning.”

The increasing complexity and sophistication of cyber threats underscores the need for businesses and individual citizens to take their cybersecurity responsibility seriously.

To read more about cybersecurity strategies and how you can protect yourself, visit Orange Cyberdefenses security center.