NATO–EU Strategic Priority: Cyber Defence & Digital Resilience

In recent years, the growing frequency, intensity, and sophistication of malicious cyber activity has transformed the digital domain into a central vector of risk for NATO, the European Union, and allied national governments.

Cyber operations conducted by state and non-state actors target not only sensitive government and military networks, but also critical infrastructure systems essential to economic continuity, public safety, and societal stability. These threats manifest across multiple vectors, including ransomware, denial-of-service attacks, supply chain vulnerabilities, espionage campaigns, and hybrid disinformation operations.

This analysis answers: How has the rising frequency, intensity and sophistication of malicious cyber activity transformed the digital domain into a central risk vector for NATO and the EU? Which attack vectors (ransomware, denial-of-service, supply-chain vulnerabilities, espionage, hybrid disinformation) most threaten government, military and critical-infrastructure networks? How do NATO and the EU align on cyber defence and digital-resilience priorities? What capabilities and actors are needed to strengthen allied digital resilience?