Insights from Cybersecurity Experts on Key Trends for 2025
The year 2024 is poised to be remembered as one marked by significant cyber disruptions. High-profile ransomware attacks impacted numerous sectors, including healthcare, business operations, and government entities. A problematic software update led to an extensive global IT failure. Additionally, cyberespionage activities became increasingly audacious. Amidst this turmoil, the fervor surrounding artificial intelligence surged, transforming the technological landscape.
Looking ahead, the question arises: Will 2025 bring further disruptions? Can cybersecurity professionals restore some semblance of order amidst the chaos? A panel of ten distinguished cybersecurity leaders, analysts, and educators offers insights into the most critical trends to monitor in the coming year.
Experts predict a marked focus on high-value targets by ransomware operators, with incentives for larger ransoms. Meanwhile, other criminal groups are likely to intensify their efforts on data theft, particularly targeting third-party suppliers and software vendors. Concurrently, an increase in cyberattacks directed at IT help desks and senior leadership is anticipated. Cybercriminals may leverage advanced AI-driven deepfake technologies to manipulate voice and video, effectively stealing credentials and perpetrating fraud.
The landscape is also expected to become increasingly complex as collaboration intensifies between nation-state actors and criminal enterprises. Geopolitical shifts could catalyze more destructive assaults on critical infrastructure. Moreover, investigators are likely to identify a growing volume of prepositioning by adversaries in corporate networks, particularly against operational technology (OT) systems and edge devices.
Regulatory developments, such as the initial fines under the EU AI Act, coupled with varied results from generative AI pilot projects, are expected to hamper enterprise AI initiatives. This regulatory pressure will likely escalate the demand for robust security, privacy, and governance controls.
An uptick in cyberattacks targeting small to midsized businesses will drive a greater need for managed security services as these organizations seek to bolster their defenses. Organizations are also expected to adopt more integrated solutions for data loss protection and security posture management as they strive to minimize data breach risks.
As discussions around cybersecurity education grow, the emergence of international partnerships should facilitate shared curricula and best practices, thereby enriching training and awareness. Additionally, it is anticipated that litigation surrounding data breaches and IT disruptions will ramp up, with efforts to hold Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and other executives accountable for cybersecurity incidents.
Despite the certainty of ongoing cyber disruptions, there is optimism that the resilience of cyber defenses, bolstered by the expertise of a growing pool of professionals, will enable businesses to navigate the challenges that lie ahead in 2025.
