This is how older people protect themselves from dangerous cyber attacks

Seniors in the crosshairs of cybercriminals

Particularly alarming: people between the ages of 51 and 60 and those over 60 are among the most exposed user groups on the Internet. “These age groups are disproportionately affected by data theft and cyberattacks,” explains Anca Eisner-Schwarz, Managing Director of CRIF Austria. There are many reasons for this: older people often use weaker passwords, are less familiar with digital threats and are more likely to fall for sophisticated scams.

The numbers speak for themselves: In 2025, CRIF registered more than 2.2 million alerts worldwide related to data exposure on the Dark Web – an increase of 5.8 percent compared to the previous year. Even more worrying, the average severity of these incidents increased by 22 percent.

Professionalization of cybercrime

For its analysis, CRIF and its London subsidiary searched websites, forums and specialized communities on the Dark Web and evaluated five billion data records. The result: Cybercriminals act much more strategically today than they did just a few years ago.

While in the past individual pieces of information were often compromised, today combinations of several sensitive data are increasingly circulating. In 94 percent of cases, credit card data is traded together with names, and in 91.5 percent of cases, email addresses are traded with passwords. Particularly valuable for fraudsters: the full residential address, which appears together with telephone numbers in 44.5 percent of cases.

“We are observing that the quality of the available data has changed. The combination of multiple pieces of information increases the usability for attackers and makes fraud attempts more targeted,” warns Eisner-Schwarz.

Austria in the European midfield

In an international comparison, Austria ranks 28th in the world for compromised email domains – Germany is in fourth place. When it comes to stolen credit card data, the Alpine republic ranks 74th, and for leaked telephone numbers it ranks 49th worldwide and 10th within the EU.

“In an international comparison, Austria is not one of the most affected countries, but at the same time the data clearly shows that cyber risks remain a permanently relevant issue here too – especially against the background of increasingly complex and targeted attacks,” emphasizes the CRIF managing director.

Europe as a whole is the world’s most affected region when it comes to trading credit card data, recording a dramatic increase of more than 32 percent compared to the previous year. The countries most frequently attacked across Europe include Germany, France and Spain.

Artificial intelligence as a weapon

The threat posed by the increasing use of artificial intelligence is reaching a new dimension. Technologies such as automatically generated content or deepfake applications make attacks increasingly difficult to detect. AI-powered phishing campaigns are enabling increasingly more credible and precise fraud attempts.

“Technological developments mean that cyber attacks are becoming more efficient and at the same time more complex. This increases the requirements for prevention and risk assessment,” says Eisner-Schwarz. Cybercriminals are increasingly using AI to create deceptive identities, forged documents and personalized communication content.

Particularly perfidious: With the help of AI, fraudsters can imitate the voices of relatives and thus trick older people over the phone into transferring money or disclosing sensitive data.

Companies are also in their sights

In addition to private individuals, companies are also increasingly coming into the crosshairs of cybercriminals. The proportion of compromised business accounts rose to 9.8 percent worldwide in 2025. This shows that organizational structures are also increasingly becoming the target of cyber attacks – with potentially devastating economic consequences.

Prevention becomes mandatory

Against this background, structured, data-based handling of cyber risks is becoming increasingly important. Companies and individuals face the challenge of better understanding their data exposure and continually assessing risks.

“Conscious and transparent handling of data is a central prerequisite for identifying risks at an early stage and making well-founded decisions,” emphasizes Eisner-Schwarz. To this end, CRIF carries out continuous monitoring and structured analysis of data circulating on the Internet, with a particular focus on risky environments such as the Dark Web.

Experts recommend that older people:

• Use strong, unique passwords for each service
• Enable two-factor authentication
• Distrust of unexpected emails or calls
• Regular updates of software and operating systems
• Take training on how to recognize phishing attempts

The message is clear: In an increasingly digitalized world, cybersecurity is becoming a generational issue – and the older generation in particular needs more support and education to arm themselves against growing threats.