Aspen Policy Academy

This article originally appeared in the E-Commerce Times on September 19, 2025.

By Jack M. Germain

Businesses and even governmental organizations once thought they were too small to target. Now they face relentless attempts from increasingly sophisticated criminal groups.

The number of weekly cyberattacks on small businesses nearly doubled in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year. Over 80% of attacks targeted credentials, according to a new report from cybersecurity firm Guardz. The rate of these attacks against SMBs is accelerating at an unprecedented pace.

Municipal officials and operators of regional facilities face similar risks. Consider a recent cyberattack on the City of St. Paul, Minn., and the nearby Aspen Policy Academy’s efforts to pick up the pieces after such an attack. Officials there described the attack as a “deliberate, coordinated, digital attack” that severely disrupted public services, resulting in the complete shutdown of municipal information systems.