It is already the second most attacked country in the world by cybercriminals

Almost daily news of Spanish companies and institutions arise that have been Cybernetic White. In recent months we have seen from data leaks, like the one that affected Telefónicaeven incidents that affected government systems, such as those of the La Rinconada City Council. The digital threat has ceased to be a remote possibility to become a constant reality, and the latest data only confirm it.

Spain has once again occupied the second place in the world ranking of countries more attacked by cybercriminals, As confirmed Secure & ItSpecialized in information security, during a day dedicated to regulations and cybercraft held in Madrid. The general director of the company, Francisco Valencia, explained that the country had historically oscillated between the third and fifth place, but that in 2025 he has recovered second place.

The position in the ranking is no accident: there are weight reasons

The reasons, according to Valencia, are multiple. Spain has a commercial presence in all International markets and occupies a prominent place at the Gross Domestic Product level (GDP). Its geographical situation, as the western end of the European continent, also reinforces its strategic value as a link between Europe and America. But there is a more political component: “Before Brexit, the United Kingdom was the second most attacked country in the world,” Valencia recalled, for his ability to destabilize the European Union.

This new ascent also occurs in a moment of special geopolitical sensitivity. During the conflict between Russia and Ukraine there was a temporary descent of Spain in the classification. Now, Spain has once again been one of the favorite whites.

From the government, direct allusion to this new ranking has been made, but it has been alerted to the growing gravity of the threat. At the end of April, the president Pedro Sánchez spoke about him Industrial and Technological Plan for Security and Defense, where he warned that “Spain is the object of more than one thousand cyberattacks to essential services already critical infrastructure”

The president said that many of these attacks do not appear in the media, but that directly affect objectives such as hospitals and airports. “Until now our systems have managed to repel the most serious and contain the impacts of the rest, but the threat, far from disappearing, it is clear that every day is greater,” he said.

The plan contemplates promoting new telecommunications and cybersecurity capabilities, both military and civilians. Measures include new satellites, 5G infrastructure, artificial intelligence, quantum computing and cloud capabilities. The objective, in the words of the president, is “to create a digital shield for Spain.”

The panorama described by Secure & It is equally alarming. According to its latest reports, cybercrime already reaches a global cost close to 1.5% of the global gross domestic product, with groups such as Ransomhub and Lockbit 3 among the most active. Only in 2024, cyber attacks increased 64% Regarding the previous year, according to CCN-CERT data. “The digital crime has everything: it is profitable, scalable and anonymous. There are even platforms that value the reputation of malware suppliers,” Valencia said during his speech.

One of the most disturbing elements is the democratization of attack tools. “Today we can talk about Ransomware Diy. A teenager with access to Google, a prepaid card and some time can deploy ransomware,” he warned. Meanwhile, the number of attacks continues to grow, and efforts to contain them also seem to be increasing.

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