The European Union Agency for Network and Information Security [ENISA] said that state-backed cyber attacks are increasing day by day, and China, Russia, and Iran are the three most powerful countries in economic espionage.

Cyber-attacks on state-sponsored economic espionage will continue to be seen, the report said.

"China, Russia, and Iran stand out as 3 of the most capable and active cyber actors tied to economic espionage," the report said.

The report read the United States is projected to be a net oil and gas exporter by 2022 and if this projection comes to fruition, the United States will directly compete with Russia in the European market.

Russian state actors could sponsor disruptive or espionage-related cyber operations or support hacktivists in the name of protecting the environment to contain this new competition in one of the largest energy market.

The report claimed that newly imposed sanctions on Iran are likely to push the country to intensify state-sponsored cyber threat activities in pursuit of its geopolitical and strategic objectives at a regional level, particularly if Iran fails to keep its European counterparts committed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreement.

ILKHA