Security firm Check Point reports weekly cyberattacks jumped 70% since 2023

Check Point Software released its Cyber Security Report 2026 on January 28, summarizing threats observed in 2025. Organizations faced an average of 1,968 cyber attacks per week, a 70% increase since 2023 and an 18% rise from 2024. Attackers now use artificial intelligence across workflows for reconnaissance, social engineering, ransomware and decision-making. Over a three-month span, 89% of organizations encountered risky AI prompts; roughly one in 41 prompts was high-risk. Extorted ransomware victims rose 53% year-over-year. New ransomware-as-a-service groups grew 50%, and ClickFix social engineering techniques increased 500%. Security scans found vulnerabilities in 40% of 10,000 Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers.

The report notes a shift to integrated, multi-channel campaigns that span email, web, phone and collaboration tools, often relayed via unmonitored edge devices. "AI is changing the mechanics of cyber attacks," said Lotem Finkelstein, VP of Research at Check Point Software. Organizations should revalidate security foundations to counter AI-driven, increasingly autonomous threats.

Why It Matters

• Deploy AI-based threat detection and alerting to manage the ~1,968 weekly attacks and to flag risky prompts across tools.
• Extend monitoring beyond email to web, voice, collaboration platforms and edge devices to catch multi-channel social engineering.
• Prioritize ransomware readiness: assess exposure to new RaaS groups, update playbooks for faster containment, and verify backups.
• Scan and harden AI infrastructure — including MCP servers — apply patches, and enforce access controls to block exploitation in attack chains.