European Cybersecurity Month: What the data tells us about staying safe online
The EU’s latest threat report highlights today’s main online risks and how open data can help us understand them
October marks the European Cybersecurity Month, the EU’s yearly campaign to help people and organisations stay safe online. Coordinated by the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) and the European Commission, the campaign brings together awareness-raising activities and events across Europe.
Ahead of the campaign, on Tuesday, 22 September, ENISA published its Threat Landscape 2026 report, covering the main cyber threats faced by the EU in 2025. Ransomware, which locks files or systems until payment is made, remains the most impactful threat. Public administration is the most targeted sector, while hacktivists continue to use distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks to overwhelm websites. The report also warns that AI is increasingly supporting attacks, including phishing messages designed to steal personal information.
Open data supports cybersecurity awareness by showing how people respond to online risks and where gaps in knowledge or protective behaviour remain. Through the European Data Portal, users can access datasets on privacy and personal data protection, including information on whether people check website security or restrict access to their personal data. Better access to these data can improve public understanding of online risks and support stronger digital resilience across Europe.
Find out more about Europe’s evolving cyber risks in the ENISA Threat Landscape 2026, browse cybersecurity-related datasets on the European Data Portal and see what the data story 'Spotting disinformation: How confident are Europeans in a digital age?' reveals about people’s confidence in identifying false information online.
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