Fragmented IT infrastructure increases cybersecurity risks
Europe is moving fast on digital transformation, but speed without structure creates problems. Enterprises across the continent are scaling up operations to stay competitive with the U.S. and China. That’s great for innovation, but not so great for cybersecurity. The more companies expand, the more complicated their IT environments become. And with that complexity comes risk.
Large, multi-location enterprises, in particular, face serious challenges in keeping track of their digital assets. Websites, APIs, IoT devices, databases, all of these systems connect to publicly accessible networks. When they aren’t properly monitored, they become weak points that bad actors can exploit. IT teams already struggle to manage known assets, so the real danger lies in the ones they don’t even realize exist.
The shift to hybrid and remote work has made this even more difficult. Employees use various devices to access company systems, sometimes outside of secure networks, increasing weak spots. Enterprises need continuous visibility into every part of their public-facing infrastructure.
The scale of digital expansion tells us just how big this problem is. In 2022 alone, the European Union pumped €127 billion into digital-related investments to modernize and strengthen recovery efforts post-COVID. That means businesses are growing their IT footprints at unprecedented levels. This is a strategic necessity, but without proper oversight, it also exposes them to unprecedented risks.
Leaders need to rethink their security approach. The challenge is securing digital transformation as it happens. That requires a systematic, always-on strategy that continuously detects and mitigates vulnerabilities across an enterprise’s entire digital presence. Anything less is asking for trouble.
European industries face major vulnerabilities
Many European industries are running with major security weaknesses, and the data proves it. Across transport, pharmaceuticals, and financial services, companies are operating with exposed IT assets, flawed encryption, and known vulnerabilities that cybercriminals can easily exploit. The risks are measurable, and they demand attention.
A security assessment of over 19,000 IT assets from key industries in France showed that 20% of identified risks were either critical or high. In the transport sector, nearly half (49.5%) of known vulnerabilities were ranked in these high-risk categories. The pharmaceutical industry, a frequent target of cyberattacks due to its sensitive data, had 25.4% of its security risks classified as critical. Financial institutions, despite typically strong malware defenses, had security failures elsewhere. In the DACH region, 43.53% of web servers in the financial sector were found with encryption misconfigurations, leaving them wide open to attacks.
These numbers make one thing clear: standard security measures aren’t sufficient. Many organizations focus on endpoint protection and firewalls, but real threats come from misconfigurations, unmonitored assets, and stolen credentials making their way onto the dark web. Keeping external IT environments secure is just as important as protecting internal systems.
For executives, this is an operational risk. A single data breach can disrupt entire business processes, impact customer trust, and trigger regulatory penalties. With Europe’s strict data protection laws, unmanaged vulnerabilities can lead to GDPR violations, fines, and long-term financial consequences. Security is a fundamental requirement for business stability.
Companies need to move beyond reactive security. Identifying risks before they become incidents is the only strategy that works at scale. Continuous monitoring, automated security assessments, and proactive risk mitigation are necessities for any enterprise handling critical or sensitive data. The threats already exist. The question is whether companies will act before they suffer the consequences.
Large enterprises are at higher risk
For large enterprises, cybersecurity risks come from both scale and complexity. More employees, more vendors, more external systems, and more public-facing IT assets create an environment filled with unnoticed weaknesses. The issue is how many digital assets exist and how many of those assets are misconfigured, unmonitored, or vulnerable.
Human error remains one of the biggest factors in cybersecurity failures. According to Proofpoint’s 2024 Voice of the CISO report, 74% of cyber breaches are caused by human mistakes. With larger workforces comes a higher likelihood of missteps, employees clicking on a phishing email, reusing compromised passwords, or misconfiguring access controls. Any one of these errors can open the door to a major attack.
The complexity of supply chains further magnifies these risks. A survey by the World Economic Forum and Accenture found that 54% of large enterprises rank supply chain security as their biggest cybersecurity challenge. These organizations rely on multiple third-party vendors, partners, and service providers, many of whom have access to critical systems. A vulnerability in one part of the supply chain can expose an entire network. Attacks targeting suppliers, like those seen in the breaches of Equifax and SolarWinds, show how quickly a single weak link can compromise a global operation.
Public-facing IT assets add another layer of exposure. Websites, cloud services, APIs, and IoT devices all increase the attack surface. If vulnerabilities remain undetected, cybercriminals will find them. Outpost24’s Benelux EASM benchmark report revealed that 18% of external IT assets contained critical or high-risk vulnerabilities. More than 20% of web servers analyzed had misconfigurations that could lead to breaches.
The financial impact of these weaknesses is severe. IBM’s 2024 Cost of a Data Breach Report shows that breaches involving shadow IT inflate costs by 10%, pushing the average loss to $4.88 million. Beyond financial losses, companies also face disruption to operations, reputational damage, and legal consequences if compliance standards are not met.
Large enterprises cannot rely on traditional cybersecurity frameworks to keep up with these challenges. The sheer scale of modern IT operations demands a real-time, adaptable approach. Security strategies must go beyond blocking known threats, they need to identify and mitigate risks before attackers exploit them. Prioritizing risk based on exposure, exploitability, and business impact is key. Without this, enterprises will always be one step behind the threats targeting them.
External Attack Surface Management (EASM) improves cyber resilience
Attackers move fast, exploiting unknown weaknesses in public-facing IT assets the moment they appear. Traditional cybersecurity methods struggle to keep pace because they rely too heavily on internal defenses. External Attack Surface Management (EASM) changes the equation by providing continuous, automated visibility into every exposed digital asset, whether IT teams are aware of it or not.
EASM solutions operate around the clock, scanning and identifying risks in websites, APIs, cloud services, IoT devices, and more. Outpost24’s EASM platform, for example, prioritizes vulnerabilities based on risk level, allowing security teams to focus efforts where they matter most. It passively scans IP addresses, domains, and ports to detect misconfigurations, open attack points, and unauthorized digital assets before attackers do.
Risk prioritization is invaluable, especially for large enterprises with thousands of assets to manage. Not every vulnerability needs immediate attention, but the most exploitable ones must be dealt with fast. Outpost24’s system uses AI-powered threat intelligence and Cyber Threat Intelligence Feeds to assess domain ownership and vulnerability severity. This makes sure that security teams don’t waste time on low-impact threats while real risks go undetected.
Data from the Benelux EASM benchmark report highlights the importance of this approach. The study found that 18% of observed IT assets contained critical or high-risk vulnerabilities. More than 20% of web servers analyzed showed security misconfigurations that could be exploited by attackers. These weaknesses exist across European enterprises today, making automated and continuous monitoring essential.
Another advantage of EASM is its ability to integrate with continuous penetration testing. When combining automated asset discovery with real-world simulated attacks, organizations can strengthen their security posture without overwhelming their teams with false positives or unnecessary alarms. The goal is to eliminate blind spots and ensure that every public-facing asset remains secure before it becomes a target.
Key executive takeaways
- Fragmented IT infrastructure increases security risks: European enterprises are expanding rapidly, but poor visibility over digital assets is increasing cybersecurity risks. Leaders should invest in continuous asset monitoring to mitigate vulnerabilities before they are exploited.
- European industries face critical security weaknesses: Key industries, including finance, transport, and pharmaceuticals, are operating with high-risk vulnerabilities. Decision-makers must implement sector-specific security strategies and proactive monitoring to prevent costly breaches.
- Large enterprises face greater exposure due to complexity: Human error, supply chain dependencies, and misconfigured public-facing assets are escalating cyber risks for large organizations. Executives should prioritize automated risk management and threat intelligence to stay ahead of emerging threats.
- EASM is essential for preventing cyber attacks: External Attack Surface Management (EASM) delivers continuous IT asset discovery and vulnerability prioritization, reducing blind spots. Companies must integrate EASM with penetration testing to strengthen cybersecurity and prevent financial and reputational damage.
