German firms report rising cyber threat from foreign intelligence services, study shows

China and Russia were the main suspected sources of such attacks, with ​Iran seen playing a growing role. Of the affected companies, 52% traced ⁠at least one attack to China and 49% to Russia, while 9% attributed ​an attack to Iran.

All three countries have denied conducting cyberattacks abroad. German officials have warned ​in recent weeks of a growing threat from cyber and hybrid attacks. Bitkom said organised crime remained the leading source of attacks, affecting 62% of companies surveyed.

But the lines between criminal groups and ​state intelligence services are often blurred, Bitkom President Ralf Wintergerst said. "Intelligence agencies make use ​of criminal structures; conversely, criminals are given free rein as long as they choose their targets in ‌line ⁠with political directives," he said.

Read More:EU technology chief warns of AI losing human control. Annual total damage from data theft, industrial espionage and sabotage amounts to at least €211 billion, said Bitkom, which represents more than 2,200 companies in the digital economy and supports moves to strengthen cybersecurity.

The study also pointed to a growing ​use of AI, with ​traditional methods such as ⁠ransomware declining and AI-enabled attacks including robocalls and deepfakes causing greater damage. Eight in 10 companies expect attackers to increase their use ​of AI.

"Artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing the nature of attacks," Wintergerst ​said. The share ⁠of companies that feel very well prepared for cyberattacks fell to 43% from 50% a year earlier. Still, fewer companies said a successful cyberattack could threaten their survival, down to ⁠45% ​from 59% a year earlier.

Cybersecurity spending was unchanged, with ​IT security accounting for an average 18% of companies' overall IT budgets. More than 1,000 companies were surveyed ​for the representative study.