Threat Actors Leverage AI to Accelerate Ransomware Attacks Across Europe

European organizations are facing a historic rise in ransomware attacks as cybercriminals increasingly integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into their operations. 

According to the CrowdStrike 2025 European Threat Landscape Report, Europe now accounts for nearly 22% of global ransomware and extortion victims, making it the second most targeted region worldwide after North America.

This surge marks a fundamental shift in the cyber threat landscape, where AI-driven automation, social engineering, and geopolitical tensions intersect to create unprecedented risks for governments and businesses alike.

Attack Acceleration in the Age of AI

The report highlights that AI is reducing the time it takes for adversaries to breach networks and deploy ransomware. 

Groups such as SCATTERED SPIDER exemplify this evolution, increasing their ransomware deployment speed by 48% and cutting their attack cycle to approximately 24 hours.

This acceleration underscores how AI enables attackers to analyze vulnerabilities, automate exploitation, and execute payloads more efficiently than ever before.

CrowdStrike observed that ransomware attacks have claimed over 2,100 European victims since January 2024. 

These victims span multiple sectors, including manufacturing, professional services, technology, and retail. 

The United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain emerged as the most targeted nations, reflecting the concentration of economic power in the region.

AI Supercharges Social Engineering

Beyond ransomware deployment speed, threat actors have diversified their attack methods through advanced social engineering and deception. 

Another growing tactic is the fake CAPTCHA lure, also known as ClickFix. 

In these attacks, users are tricked into copying malicious code into their systems under the guise of verifying their identity. 

Over 1,000 CAPTCHA-related incidents have been reported among European organizations since 2024, illustrating how human trust remains a critical vulnerability.

These evolving methodologies demonstrate how AI tools amplify traditional social engineering strategies. 

By combining linguistic modeling, automation, and behavioral prediction, attackers can craft highly convincing and targeted campaigns that bypass conventional security training and filters.

The Geopolitics of Cyber Warfare

The European cyber threat landscape is not only defined by criminal syndicates but also by nation-state adversaries leveraging AI for espionage and disruption. 

State-sponsored actors from Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea have expanded their targeting across Europe, often blurring the lines between political motives and economic gain.

Russia-nexus actors continue to pursue intelligence collection and disruptive campaigns tied to the war in Ukraine. 

Their objectives include tracking military aid, influencing European public opinion, and undermining NATO cohesion.

Similarly, Iran-nexus groups such as Pulsar Kitten and Haywire Kitten have intensified phishing and espionage campaigns against European entities, particularly in Germany and France, as regional tensions escalate.

China’s cyber operations remain focused on strategic industries such as defense, manufacturing, and biotechnology. 

CrowdStrike identified Vertigo Panda’s use of USB-based exploits and Vixen Panda’s focus on cloud infrastructure, both designed to steal intellectual property supporting China’s industrial and technological ambitions. 

North Korean adversaries, including Velvet Chollima, continue to target defense and energy sectors, merging espionage with cryptocurrency theft to support state objectives.

The Rise of Violence-as-a-Service

A defining trend in 2025 is the emergence of violence-as-a-service networks. 

Criminal groups are increasingly using digital platforms such as Telegram to coordinate physical attacks, extortion, and sabotage tied to ransomware or cryptocurrency theft. 

Hybrid adversaries, such as RENAISSANCE SPIDER, operate at the intersection of cybercrime and physical crime, offering financial incentives for real-world violence against corporate targets.

Simultaneously, underground ecosystems have matured into complex supply chains. malware-as-a-service (MaaS) and Initial Access Brokerage (IAB) platforms — often hosted on Russian and English-language forums — have commoditized cybercrime. 

CrowdStrike identified 260 IABs advertising access to more than 1,400 European companies since 2024, selling stolen credentials and network footholds to ransomware operators.

AI vs. AI: The Next Cyber Battlefield

The convergence of AI-driven automation, sophisticated social engineering, and state-backed cyber activity signals a turning point for Europe’s cybersecurity posture. 

Traditional defensive models, that rely on static detection and reactive response, are no longer sufficient.

CrowdStrike’s Head of Counter Adversary Operations, Adam Meyers, emphasized the need for “intelligence-led defense powered by AI and guided by human expertise.”

This strategy integrates predictive analytics, behavioral detection, and human-driven threat hunting to preempt adversarial activity before it escalates into full-scale compromise.

For European organizations, resilience depends on proactive intelligence sharing, multi-layered defense architectures, and continuous security awareness education that accounts for AI-enhanced deception.

The rise of AI-enhanced attacks underscores a simple truth: trust nothing, verify everything.