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Analysis
Cyberattacks Up 48% in September 2026, Europe Up 61%: Check Point Report
Check Point: cyberattacks rose 48% year over year in September 2026 and 61% in Europe, with ransomware up 53%. Key takeaways for businesses.
Check Point Research has released its threat report for September 2026, and the numbers are alarming. The average organization worldwide faced 2,803 attacks per week. That is 48% more than a year earlier and 16% more than in August. Attacks are growing fastest in Europe, up 61% year over year.
Key figures
| Metric (September 2026) | Value |
|---|---|
| Weekly attacks per organization (global) | 2,803 (+48% YoY, +16% MoM) |
| Growth in Europe | +61% YoY (highest of any region) |
| Growth in North America | +50% YoY |
| Ransomware attacks published on criminal leak sites | 824 (+53% YoY) |
| Emails flagged as malicious (phishing) | 1 in 91 |
| AI prompts posing a data leakage risk | 1 in 39 |
Latin America had the most attacks, at 3,813 per organization per week, followed by Africa (3,701) and Asia-Pacific (3,593). Europe still sees fewer attacks than these regions, but it is closing the gap faster than any of them.
Most targeted industries
- Education and research: 6,656 attacks per week (+59% YoY), the most targeted sector for months,
- Telecommunications: 3,483 attacks (+29%),
- Government: 3,443 attacks (+37%).
Among ransomware victims, the most common sectors were business services (31.3% of victims), consumer goods and services (15.2%) and industrial manufacturing (11.0%). Service companies should take note. Criminals go after the businesses where downtime hurts most and customer data is worth the most.
Ransomware: who’s leading
The most active group was The Gentlemen (13% of attacks), ahead of Qilin (9%). Nearly half (46%) of attacks hit North America, but that is no reason for anyone else to relax. Ransomware groups run an “as-a-service” model, and their affiliates buy access to companies all over the world. This year’s FortiBleed and CyberXero campaigns are examples.
Phishing and artificial intelligence
One in every 91 emails was a phishing attempt, and 81% of them contained a malicious link. A newer risk is also growing: one in 39 prompts that employees entered into AI tools risked leaking sensitive data. This affects 89% of organizations that use these tools. The average user enters 131 prompts per month, so a 100-person company can expect several hundred risky prompts every month.
What this means for Polish businesses
- Europe is no longer a “quiet” part of the world. The 61% jump in a single year is driven by geopolitical tensions and AI-powered attack automation.
- Ransomware is growing faster than attacks overall (53% vs. 48%). Offline backups and regularly tested recovery procedures are now essential.
- Companies need an AI usage policy that sets out which tools are allowed, what data must never be entered into them, and how compliance is checked.
- Phishing awareness training still pays off, because email remains the most common way attackers get in.
SecurHUB’s take
When attacks grow by half in a single year, security that was good enough in 2025 may no longer be enough today. Find your gaps before criminals do. We offer security audits, penetration testing and 24/7 SOC monitoring scaled to the size of your business.
Sources: Check Point — September 2026 Cyber Threat Landscape, IT Security Guru, Check Point Research — report of October 12, 2026
