Why is Spain so vulnerable to cyberattacks?

Spain faces a new challenge: strengthening its online security. In recent months, there have been several major cyber attacks, including data breaches at Telefónica, the country's main telecoms company. Other major players have also been hacked: Santander Bank, the Orange phone network, Iberdrola energy company, numerous stock exchange listed companies, even Spain's Armed Forces. In fact, roughly a third of all cyberattacks in Spain are directed at public administrations.

Although a cyberattack has been officially ruled out as the cause of Spain's nationwide blackout on April 28th, there are still voices claiming that there isn't enough data to completely discard that possibility.

According to Francisco Valencia, CEO of security firm Secure&IT, Spain has historically fluctuated between third and fifth place globally in terms of its propensity to cyberattacks, but in 2025 it stands in second place.

So why is it so vulnerable and why are criminals targeting Spain?

According to data from CybersecurityNews, cyberattacks have risen by 35 percent this year in Spain, reaching more than 45,000 incidents per day. Between late February and early March, attacks increased by 750 percent compared to the same period last year, according HackManac, a company which monitors global cyber threats.

During the week of March 5-11th 2025, Spain was the most targeted country in the world and Spain is also the third-most attacked country by pro-Russian hackers.

According to Secure&IT’s CEO, Spain has a commercial presence in all international markets and occupies a prominent position in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Its geographical location, at the westernmost point of the European continent, also reinforces its strategic value as a link between Europe and America.

More importantly though he explains that "Before Brexit, the United Kingdom was the second most attacked country in the world,", due to its capacity to destabilise the EU.

During this time, as well as during the start of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Spain temporarily dropped in the rankings, but now it has become a prime target once again.

At the Global Cyber Security Congress in Barcelona, they also explained that Spanish companies had undergone a rapid digital transformation, which is a key goal of the EU’s Next Generation Funds. As they've done so, however, many have "failed to invest sufficiently in cybersecurity systems, making them easy targets for cybercriminals".

This is made worse by the rise in ransomware attacks, which have surged by 120 percent and caused financial losses, particularly for small businesses. According to CybersecurityNews, they can lose between €2,500 and €60,000 per attack, while damage to a large company can often be more than €5.5 million.

The Spanish government has not made any comment regarding the ranking, but it has warned about the growing threat of cyberattacks.

At the end of April, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez did admit that "Spain is subject to more than a thousand cyberattacks on essential services and critical infrastructure each year”.

The PM explained that many of these attacks don't appear in the media, but they directly affect targets such as hospitals and airports. "So far, our systems have managed to repel the most serious ones and contain the impact of the rest, but the threat, far from disappearing, is clearly growing stronger every day," he stated.

Sánchez’s new plan aims to boost new telecommunications and cybersecurity capabilities, both military and civilian. It will include new satellites, 5G infrastructure, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and cloud capabilities. We want to "create a digital shield for Spain”, Sánchez explained.

According to Secure&IT’s latest reports, cybercrime now represents a global cost of 1.5 percent of the world's GDP.

In 2024 alone, cyberattacks increased by 64 percent compared to the previous year, according to data from Spanish cybersecurity company CCN-CERT.

"Digital crime has it all: it's profitable, scalable, and anonymous. There are even platforms that assess the reputation of malware providers," Valencia said.