By Sergio Delgado Martorell, journalist specializing in technology, cybersecurity, and innovation.
The ongoing digitalization and increasing reliance on online services have made governments more exposed than ever to sophisticated and persistent cyber threats. For this reason, it is essential to identify which regions are better equipped to safeguard critical information and services from digital risks.
A recent comparative study by the Business Digital Index, a cybersecurity reputation platform developed by Cybernews, reveals that U.S. government institutions demonstrate stronger cybersecurity practices than those of the European Union.
The analysis assessed 500 U.S. entities and 75 key European organizations—including the European Commission and the European Parliament—highlighting significant disparities in the quality of the measures adopted to secure their systems.
The Methodology
To compile the report, the Business Digital Index gathered data from a variety of sources, including IoT device search engines, domain and IP reputation databases, and proprietary scanning tools.
The aim was to evaluate risks across seven key dimensions: software updates, web application security, email protection, overall system reputation, SSL configuration, hosting practices, and history of data breaches.
The European Union Shows Weaker Performance
The study’s findings are concerning for EU institutions. While 54% of the analyzed U.S. organizations received a cybersecurity grade of D or F, that figure rose to 67% among European entities.
Moreover, not a single EU institution earned a top-tier grade (A or B), compared to 32% of their U.S. counterparts, which did reach those levels.
This reflects a lower level of digital maturity within European public administrations, which must strengthen their strategies to meet acceptable protection standards.
Poor Password Practices Remain a Problem
One of the report’s most alarming revelations concerns credential management. According to the study, 85% of employees in the worst-performing European institutions continue to reuse previously compromised passwords—a practice that severely undermines any digital defense system.
By contrast, only 27% of employees in U.S. institutions engage in this risky behavior. This stark gap underscores the urgent need for targeted awareness and training campaigns for public sector workers.
Technical Vulnerabilities Persist on Both Sides
Despite U.S. institutions achieving better overall ratings than their European peers, both regions display significant vulnerabilities.
SSL/TLS misconfigurations—essential for securing communication between servers and browsers—were found in every European entity assessed and in 93% of the U.S. ones.
This weakness exposes systems to man-in-the-middle attacks that compromise the integrity of transmitted information.
A High-Risk Situation That Demands Immediate Action
The average scores obtained by the institutions evaluated further reinforce the need for swift action. U.S. government organizations achieved an average rating of 75 out of 100, while European bodies reached 71.
According to the Business Digital Index, scores between 70 and 79 represent a high-risk scenario. This suggests that although U.S. organizations hold a relative advantage, both blocs remain vulnerable to threats that could have severe consequences if not proactively addressed.
Indeed, the overall outlook remains troubling, as security breaches and vulnerabilities are still common across both the United States and the European Union—often due to factors that are both known and preventable.
