The future of cyber security in 2025

The cyber security field is expanding unprecedentedly, and risk are becoming increasingly sophisticated. It was predicted that cyber crime would cost the global economy more than $9 trillion in 2024, while it could reach $10.29 trillion in the year 2025. It has become higher-risk than ever for CISOs, CIOs, and IT decision makers.

This is not a problem of simply preventing attacks but also about having to address new technologies and operational requirements. The survey is noted in the IDC report, where 75% of leaders reported that their organisations are committed to the comprehensive execution of digital transformation projects by the year 2025 to remain relevant in the market. This example demonstrates just how important cyber security is to business continuity and success.

Key trends in cyber security for 2025

Here are the areas that CISOs, CIOs, and IT directors should prepare for in creating future enterprise security strategies for 2025.

1. Rise of AI-powered attacks

AI is revolutionising numerous sectors, and cyber security is one of them, which it is soon to affect. It is worth establishing here that in the year 2025, the use of Artificial intelligence in the perpetration of cyber crimes will have gone up.

Cyber criminals are already using AI in a variety of ways to automate their attack processes and make them far more complicated. Surveys show that 48% of IT decision-makers argue that AI-driven threats would be one of the biggest cyber security threats in 2025.
AI can create quite credible simulations of phishing messages which make it difficult for employees to distinguish between them and real ones. It can imitate trustworthy senders and succeed in making people provide personal details.
AI can also look into a large database to search for information within a short span of time. This capability enables the attackers to realise specific openings in systems much faster compared to the past. Over time, AI has been adopted by organisations in the defence side hence it would be expected that attackers will also incorporate it in their attacks.

To overcome these threats, organisations need to implement new security tools that depend on artificial intelligence for identification and remediation. In this way, they will be in a better position to address these new tendentious attacks in their networks.

2. Quantum computing risks

As for cyber security, quantum computing holds new problems. 47% of respondents worldwide said that they are very worried about threats associated with quantum computing. Here current commonly used methods for encrypting data and communication which are sequences that protect sensitive information may become futile, with the help of the new quantum computers, as it can quickly solve numerous problems.

Thankfully, the measure of this risk has not gone unnoticed by governments and private companies alike, who are already starting to act on it. The United States National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has started working on QR-post quantum cryptography with new standardisation is to be released by 2025.

However, organisations are advised to begin auditing their cryptographic systems today in order to be ready for the quantum frontier. An interesting transition is currently underway; organisations that might be slow on the uptake shall find themselves in a precarious position every time there is an advancement made on the usability of quantum technology.

3. The cyber security talent shortage continues

Markets will be further unable to meet demand for skilled cyber security professionals in 2025. This shortage will bring about a change in the focus of the organisations on how they hire and train their employees.

Upskilling initiatives: Organisations will provide funding for in-house training that will develop cyber security talent within the organisation.
Automation to fill gaps: These will be achieved with the assistance of automated tools that would be able to close the talent gap more effectively and occupy the role of repetitive functions such as monitoring and reporting.
Diversity in cyber security: Employers will work hard to get as many people as possible in the job market to ensure they source for the best talent.

Collaborate with educational institutions in order to develop training programs that would best fit the company. It is highly advisable to offer such bonuses as scholarships or apprenticeships to for the reception of new employees.

4. Decentralisation of cyber security decision-making

With companies shifting to more versatile and dispersed structures, security decisions are gradually shifting as well. This is because shadow IT, where employees procure or use technology solutions without IT’s knowledge, has become more common. In Gartner’s vision, by 2027, 75% of firms will function in those contexts.

As such, while decentralisation can enhance innovation and flexibility it invariably introduces new risks. The cyber security approach should change from a top-down one involving strict control to giving best practices and recourse by which every department could handle the risk on its own. Traditional perimeter security access points are no longer relevant and zero-trust models that require authentication of users and their associated devices are now more important.

5. Enhanced focus on cloud security

With an increasing number of companies migrating their applications and data to the cloud, the requirements for secure cloud have become more important than ever. According to Gartner by 2025, more than 85% of businesses will be using cloud services. This shift creates new problems of securing data in cloud solutions.

Business organisations should implement cloud security posture management (CSPM) solutions to help with cloud security oversight. All these tools assist the process of finding misconfigurations and other vulnerabilities in real-time. Thus, companies must enhance access controls and encryption policies on the used data.

6. Compliance & regulatory pressure

The cyber security regulatory demands are expected to increase in 2025 in terms of its complexity. Globalisation and Regionalisation in a broader perspective mean that companies are forced to get involved with an ever increasing network of compliance regimes at the global, regional and industrial levels.

Data Localisation Laws: The fact is modern countries are starting to insist on data being stored within the country, which has made data storing more challenging.
Cyber security Reporting Mandates: There may be increased demands put on businesses to report an incident in less time.
Standardised Frameworks: It will be crucial to adhere to principles such as NIST, ISO 27001, and other frameworks. Along the exact line, it would be crucial to adopt other principles such as the NIST, ISO 2701 or any other set principle.

Create compliance as the first priority. It is recommended that entities provide specialised human capital permanently responsible for tracking changes in regulations as well as making changes based on these regulations.

Strategic responses from IT leaders

Systems risks are increasing and thus IT managers require comprehensive and anticipative approaches. Skilful and uncomplicated strategies in combating threats for CISOs and CIOs in the year 2025.

1. Investing in integrated security platforms

Organisations can make the management of their cyber security a less complex issue through the use of a single unified platform. These platforms are one integrated system covering many security tools that enable users to detect and contain threats with relative ease.

A report by Research has revealed that over 70 % organisations using integrated security solutions stated that the effectiveness of threat detection and response time had been enhanced. This centralisation also has the advantage of simplifying the organisation and guaranteeing that all security systems work together.

2. Using AI for cyber defence

Today, attackers use AI to launch smarter attacks; as such, companies can only counter them using AI as well. AI can process multiple amounts of data simultaneously and pinpoint anomalous behaviour while 80% of people think that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages of using AI in industrial cyber security. This assists business organisations to recognise threat opportunities earlier enough and contain harm before it happens.

3. Preparing for new regulations

The laws that govern data privacy and cyber security are stiffening. 68 % of UK executives predicted that regulations will further strengthen by the year 2025. IT leaders should ensure that they are informed in regard to such changes in order to make appropriate changes to policies. Adhering to regulations regularly supports a company to avoid penalties as well as gaining the confidence of customers.

4. Strengthening incident response plans

The form of risk preparedness that should be practiced is the incident response plan to minimise the impact of cyber attacks. These plans should nevertheless be updated periodically to counter threats present in the current business world. According to IBM, organisations that have effective incident response planning and testing regimes stand to save an average of $1.49 million on data breaches. Team building combined with training drills assists the teams to react effectively and identify possibilities for enhancement.

5. Building cyber security awareness

Employee training is crucial since human factors are blamed for 95% of all cyber threats. Everyone in the IT division should be cyber security awareness trained on phishing schemes and other risks at least once a week. Those employees who are able to recognise risks should also try to help avoid potential attacks as it will minimise the general exposure of the organisation.

6. Collaborating with industry peers

Multi-firm strategies keep IT leaders informed of existing threats and defence mechanisms in other companies. Industry forums, conferences / workshops especially within professional bodies offer a chance to share ideas. According to a poll, 80 percent of cyber security employees think that increased collaboration enhances threat identification and mitigation.

7. Adopting zero-trust architecture

Zero-trust encompasses a security model that suggests that no user or device should be trusted when accessing an organisation’s resources without proper authentication. This approach comprises features such as access control and continuous observation. According to Forrester’s study, zero trust could lower the risk of data breaches by 50%. Use of this model makes it difficult for attackers to capitalise on such weaknesses.

Elevate your IT experience with A&O Corsaire

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