Cybercrime contributed to German companies losing around €267 billion in the past 12 months, digital association Bitkom found, with the majority of businesses bracing themselves for an increase in attacks in 2025.

A survey of 1,000 German companies across a range of different sectors found costs had risen by 29 per cent from the €205.9 billion recorded in the same period of 2023.

In total, 81 per cent of companies reported experiencing data theft including details on customers and access information such as passwords, in addition to intellectual property such as patents.

Other threats included acts of sabotage and organised crime, as well as espionage.

Going forward, 90 per cent of the companies quizzed expect more cyberattacks in the next 12 months, while 10 per cent expect the level to stay the same.

Alarmingly, 66 per cent see their entire existence threatened by cyberattacks. 

In response, companies are taking steps to up their defences, allocating an average of 17 per cent of total IT budgets for security measures, up from 14 per cent.

Bitkom found a majority of attacks originate in China, with 45 per cent of companies able to trace at least one incident back to the country. Russia was next on 39 per cent, while attacks from Germany declined from 29 per cent to 20 per cent.

Commenting on the results, Bitkom president Ralf Wintergerst said: “The threat situation for the German economy is worsening and companies must increase their protective measures,” adding this applies to digital “as well as classic attacks, such as eavesdropping on meetings or the theft of physical documents”.