Missouri Businesses Lose $48 Million to Cyberattacks
Business email compromise scams drove most of the state's corporate cybercrime victims and losses in 2025.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Cybersecurity
Missouri businesses reported nearly $48 million in losses to cyberattacks in 2025. Business email compromise scams accounted for the largest share of both victim counts and financial losses in the state.
Why it matters
The figures show that cybercrime is a costly, everyday risk for Missouri companies rather than a rare event. Because email-based fraud is the dominant threat, basic verification of payment requests and sender identities carries significant financial weight for employers across the state.
Missouri recorded 516 business victims in 2025, with 355 targeted through business email compromise, 73 through ransomware and 61 through data breaches. The average loss per FBI-reported incident in the state was about $92,300, ranking Missouri 44th nationally at 20.3 victims per 10,000 businesses.
The details
Business email compromise scammers impersonate a company's trusted leaders to trick employees into sending money or data, and may also hack real company accounts to do so. Nationally, nearly 34,700 cybercrime incidents were reported last year, with losses 74 percent higher than in 2020.
Timeline
2025: Missouri businesses lost nearly $48 million to cyberattacks over the year.
Seasonal Patterns
Nationally, reported cybercrime losses in 2025 were 74 percent higher than in 2020, according to FBI reporting on nearly 34,700 incidents. Missouri's losses fit that rising trend, while Alaska ranked first nationally for corporate cybercrime exposure at 47.3 victims per 10,000 businesses.
Employees who approve payments or handle sensitive data face the most direct exposure to business email compromise. Verifying payment requests by phone through a known number, rather than replying to the email, is a practical step that can prevent losses.
The takeaway
Verifying unusual payment or data requests through a separate, known channel is the most effective defense against the email-based fraud that dominates Missouri's business cybercrime losses. Small routine checks can protect significant sums.
Further reading
For broader background on how these threats work, see Cybersecurity coverage on Wisevoter.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Jefferson City News Tribune.
