In 2025, global cybercrime is projected to cost $10.5 trillion. If cybercrime were a country, it would have the world’s third-largest gross domestic product (GDP).

This rapidly growing global risk now poses an acute threat to macro financial stability and organisational resilience. For business leaders, understanding the universal challenges as well as region-specific nuances is critical to building effective defences and governance. For cyber professionals, the time is now to turn to global consortiums and networks to share, collaborate, and learn from one another.

The deadly trio, a global threat

According to Verizon’s 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report, the insidious trio of credential abuse, exploitation of vulnerabilities, and phishing made up the lion's share of initial access vectors reported across all regions last year.

Ransomware alone is involved in 44% of global breaches in 2025, demanding heavy sums and often crippling critical infrastructure, although organisations are increasingly refusing to pay. Meanwhile supply chain and third-party risks are also growing rapidly, and are now implicated in 30% of breaches, doubling last year’s figures. This trend in particular underscores how attackers exploit the interconnectedness of modern business ecosystems to breach otherwise well-defended organisations.

Navigating human risk and policy challenges

Across Germany, the UK, and South Africa, the human element remains the most vulnerable attack surface. In fact, various reports show that human risk is now the biggest cybersecurity challenge for organisations, overtaking technology vulnerabilities.

Attackers are also increasingly using AI-enhanced phishing tactics, making social engineering more effective and harder to detect. This convergence places a premium on continuous cybersecurity awareness, behavioural biometrics, and human risk management platforms.

Regulatory environments play a significant role in shaping cyber risk and mitigation strategies. All three countries operate within a complex patchwork of data protection laws and cybersecurity regulations. Navigating these frameworks requires resources and expertise, with varying degrees of enforcement maturity posing additional challenges.

While these commonalities allow companies the ability to easily share best practices to great effect, every region also comes with its own unique challenges which add additional layers of complexity and cost.

Three IPREX PR agencies, each with specialist cyber security expertise and decades of servicing security industry stalwarts, share their insights as to how Germany, the UK, and South Africa address their digital security challenges.

Germany balancing stringent compliance with persistent gaps

According to Karsten Hoppe, co-founder and managing director at TDUB Kommunikationsberatung, phishing remains the predominant threat in Germany, constituting 84% of attacks which are frequently aided by AI-generated emails that appear highly convincing.

German sectors that are most affected include education, healthcare, and public institutions, with some education organisations experiencing over 4,400 attacks weekly. The convergence of digital and analogue threat methods, including industrial espionage and sabotage, also complicates defence efforts.

“In Germany, cybersecurity efforts are strongly influenced by stringent data protection laws. This regulatory environment fosters a robust approach but also reveals gaps in preparedness. Half of German companies feel inadequately prepared despite frequent attacks,” Hoppe shares.

Hoppe says the industry recognises the need to collaborate and says the EU’s NIS2 Directive bolsters security requirements. What’s more, public-private partnerships promote the exchange of threat information and best practices and particular attention is being paid to supply chain security, as 10% of companies have already experienced attacks via suppliers.

Human-centric risks still dominate in the UK

The UK’s cyber threat environment closely mirrors Germany’s, with phishing and ransomware leading the charge. The 2025 UK Cyber Security Breaches Survey shows phishing affected 85% of breached organisations, while ransomware incidents doubled to 19,000 in one year.

“The National Cyber Security Centre has made it clear that the most successful attacks in the UK are not sophisticated, they succeed because organisations haven’t got the fundamentals in place. And, despite growing investment in cybersecurity, UK organisations continue to face significant gaps, particularly in people and processes where attackers most often succeed,” says Lucy Giles, Director of MC2 in the UK.

Giles says last year, insurance broker Howden found that cyber attacks cost UK businesses approximately £44 billion over the past five years, with medium-sized businesses averaging £10,830 per attack. Despite this, security software vendor ESET found that 15% of companies lack a dedicated cyber security budget, and 23% have no plans to increase cyber security spending.

The UK government’s draft Code of Practice has urged boards to treat cyber risk like financial and reputational risks, focusing on governance, incident preparedness, and continuous monitoring. Giles points out that the UK is now in alignment with EU standards such as the NIS2 Directive which reinforces cross-border cyber resilience.

South Africa a cybercrime testing ground

South Africa faces a unique cyber landscape shaped by rapid digital adoption, enforcement gaps, and evolving threat tactics. The country has emerged as the world’s phishing capital, with the crime responsible for 52% of cyber threats locally, which is nearly double the global average. Adding to the challenge, the country faces fragmented law enforcement and prosecution delays, creating a relatively low-risk environment for attackers to trial new exploits.

“Fortunately South Africa’s financial sector exemplifies proactive adaptation. Fintech pioneers have embedded innovative security measures such as phone-as-a-token, out-of-band push authentication for financial institutions over a decade ago already. This has forced cybercriminals to refocus their efforts on the human layer that is more exploitable,” explains Elzaan Rohde, founder and CEO of Semaphore Communications.

Security professionals have taken a proactive response and the IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report 2025 has found that the average cost of a breach in South Africa dropped from R53.1 million in 2024 to R44.1 million in 2025 due to widespread deployment of automated threat detection, data protection software, and a shift toward DevSecOps.

Supply chain security campaigns have also emphasised rigorous third-party vetting, contractual standards, continuous monitoring, incident response planning, and cyber insurance, reflecting a growing maturity in defence.

Forewarned is forearmed

The three agencies believe the path forward lies in balancing people, processes, and technology to prevent threat actors slipping through the cracks in between. This includes investing in coordinated incident detection and response, continuous training, as well as stronger supply chain due diligence, all of which are vital to protect business operations - and reputation - on a truly global scale.

“From a communications perspective, companies should have clear crisis plans in place to quickly respond if a cyber incident or full breach occurs. Cybersecurity solution providers could also build trust and visibility by contextualising major incidents in the media and providing clear, authoritative advisory,” says Hoppe.

With the right preparation and investment in expert input, the damage and recovery time for cyberattacks could be dramatically reduced, if not prevented, he concludes.

Unmasking cyber threats across Germany, South Africa, and the UK