Cyber attacks on companies and schools in the Czech Republic are growing, damage exceeded 600 million crowns

PRAGUE - The number of cyber attacks on companies and public institutions in the Czech Republic rose by four percent year-on-year to 1,699 cases last year. The total damage amounted to CZK 632 million, an increase of 38 percent year-on-year. Police President Martin Vondrášek told a press conference. Over the past five years, the police have recorded more than 8,100 cyber incidents with total damages exceeding CZK 3 billion.

According to the police, the most frequent targets of hackers in 2024 were non-banking companies, online shops, and now also schools and educational institutions. "Attackers most often opt for hacking, i.e. penetration into information systems, or misuse of electronic means of payment. The largest single damage amounted to CZK 5.6 million," Vondrášek said.

Statistics from the Czech Banking Association show that the average loss per defrauded client has fallen - while in 2022 it averaged CZK 32,000, last year it was CZK 16,000. "Attackers are becoming more sophisticated and insidious. The number of cases and their sophistication is increasing. Security vigilance is a necessity today," he stressed.

According to Blažek, ČSOB, in cooperation with the Police of the Czech Republic, has so far trained more than one million people in cyber security. Now the focus is on companies, entrepreneurs and public institutions. Together with Mastercard, they plan to train representatives of a quarter of a million entities - from businesses and housing associations to schools, municipalities and hospitals.

"Our goal is to make these groups more prepared for the growing digital threats. We want to inspire other players in the market," Blažek added.

According to Jana Lvová, CEO of Mastercard for the Czech Republic and Slovakia, digital trust is the foundation of a stable economy. A survey of IT professionals in Czech and Slovak companies showed that 95 % of them faced a cyber attack. Almost half of the companies saw an increase in attacks, with phishing, scamming and malware being the most common methods.

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