Cybercrime Increases 13.4% in Portugal in 2025, Legal Challenges Persist (eco.sapo.pt)

• Cybercrime in Portugal up 13.4% in 2025; 2,559 defendants, 83 arrests.
• Main threats: ransomware, phishing, smishing, AI-powered fraud.
• Key challenges: digital evidence complexity, slow international cooperation, resource gaps.

"Cybercrime in Portugal rose 13.4% in 2025, with 2,559 defendants (+28.5%) and 83 arrests (+88.6%), according to the Internal Security Report (RASI). Main threats include ransomware, phishing, smishing, and online fraud, increasingly powered by AI. Experts say the main challenge is not the legal framework but digital evidence complexity and international cooperation. Economic crime inquiries rose 22%, money laundering 42%. Companies are boosting cybersecurity spending; incidents hit 2,758 in 2024 (+36%). Structural issues include slow international judicial cooperation and lack of forensic experts."