Cybercrime continues its upward trajectory,with a new report revealing a ample surge in online extortion attempts targeting organizations globally. According too findings released Thursday by Orange Cyberdefense, incidents increased by 44.5% between October 2024 and September 2025, with SMEs bearing the brunt of these attacks – now accounting for nearly 70% of all victims.The report underscores a concerning evolution in cybercriminal tactics, including a growing blend of attacks with disinformation campaigns, and a troubling move towards the “industrialization” of malicious actors.
Cybercrime is on the rise, with a significant increase in online extortion attempts reported in 2025. The trend is particularly impacting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), according to an annual report released Thursday by Orange Cyberdefense, the cybersecurity division of the Orange Group.
Between October 2024 and September 2025, the number of organizations targeted surged by 44.5% compared to the prior-year period, exceeding 6,100. Through the first nine months of 2025, the total number of victims rose 5% compared to all of 2024, the company stated.
U.S. and Canada Remain Primary Targets
These figures are based on analysis of nearly 140,000 potential cybersecurity incidents globally, Orange Cyberdefense reported. “All organizations – small, medium, large, public, private – are digitizing to improve their processes, and with each step, vulnerabilities and the attack surface increase,” explained Hugues Foulon, CEO of the company. This growing digital footprint is creating more opportunities for malicious actors, posing a significant challenge for businesses across all sectors.
SMEs, which have been increasingly targeted in previous reports, now account for two-thirds (67%) of all victims. The United States and Canada continue to be the primary targets, followed by European countries.
“While cyber extortion operations remain concentrated in developed, English-speaking economies, we are observing a clear geographic expansion into regions with intermediate and high growth,” the company noted. This expansion suggests that cybercriminals are broadening their scope to exploit vulnerabilities in emerging markets.
The report also indicates a rise in the number of attackers. “There are increasingly more groups structuring themselves, and we are moving from professionalization to industrialization of cyber attackers,” Foulon detailed.
Blending Cyberattacks with Disinformation Campaigns
Over the first nine months of the year, Orange Cyberdefense identified 89 malicious actors responsible for attacks, a 17% increase compared to the entirety of 2024.
“Part of this increase in the number of actors could simply reflect the same groups operating under new brands,” the report cautioned.
Among these active cybercriminals, the company also observed an evolution in tactics, with disinformation campaigns being conducted alongside traditional attacks. “We are seeing a blend of cyberattacks, data leaks, and information warfare to denigrate or weaken targets or enemies,” Foulon indicated. This convergence of tactics represents a more complex and challenging threat landscape for organizations.
This trend is expected to accelerate, according to the report, which predicts a “drastic increase in disinformation and attacks against reputation, made possible by the accessibility of powerful content generation solutions based on AI.”
