What to Expect in Cybersecurity in 2025

Cynthia Overby

The cybersecurity landscape is evolving rapidly, driven by new technologies and increasingly sophisticated threats, forcing organizations to reassess their security strategies.

According to Forrester Research, 78% of surveyed companies experienced a breach in the last 12 months, while 22% said they experienced multiple breaches. Both these numbers are up from the previous year.

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) is reshaping defense approaches, while the growing threat of ransomware and nation-state actors continues to challenge even the most secure enterprises. These factors underscore the critical importance of cybersecurity in today’s digital world. In 2024, businesses invested heavily in advanced technologies but faced rising risks from attackers leveraging AI to bypass traditional defenses.

And IDC found that organizations increased spending on infrastructure for AI deployments by 37% year-over-year in the first half of 2024, reaching $31.8 billion. Additionally, a recent report from Gartner found that security spending increased by 13.4% in 2024.

Security solutions are becoming much more advanced and are now an interconnected web of solutions that must anticipate, detect, and respond to evolving threats. Based on the trends that shaped cybersecurity in 2024, here’s what I expect we will start to see in 2025.

AI and ML Will be a Cybersecurity Necessity

By the end of the year, I predict that over half of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) will incorporate AI and ML into their security software solutions. Many organizations are especially excited about the potential of generative AI to fill gaps in security expertise and strengthen their cyber defenses by identifying patterns, detecting threats, and even predicting future vulnerabilities.

However, it’s important to read behind the label. While certain AI tools are genuinely viable for improving security, many vendors will use the term “AI-enabled” as a marketing tactic. This could lead to confusion in the marketplace, potentially diminishing the credibility of genuinely AI-driven solutions, and companies buying products that don’t live up to their expectations.

Ransomware Attacks on the Rise

We saw increasingly sophisticated phishing techniques in 2024, like when European retailer, Pepco Group, lost over 15 million euros.

Phishing attacks will not only continue in the coming year, but they will fuel more ransomware attacks. Beyond immediate exploitation, some attackers are documenting corporate vulnerabilities they discover and selling this information to other hackers. By 2025, these bad actors will capitalize on the weaknesses they've identified and continue to exploit them.

The evolution of phishing attacks, combined with advanced tactics, will make it even harder for organizations to defend against ransomware. This makes it critical for enterprises to continue to adapt their cybersecurity defenses to growing threats.

Nation-State Actors and Critical Infrastructure Attacks

In 2025, we will see a shift in the targets of cyberattacks. While insurance and financial systems will remain popular targets, nation-state threat actors will increasingly focus on critical infrastructure operations and corporate data. These attacks will no longer be limited to traditional ransomware aimed at forward-facing web applications, but instead, attackers will target power grids and sensitive corporate data stored on critical hardware.

Unfortunately, the lack of skilled resources to manage security across enterprises, coupled with a limited understanding of critical infrastructure vulnerability management at the C-level, will make these organizations particularly vulnerable.

Identity-Based Phishing Will Increase

As hackers increasingly target identity-based phishing attacks, security administrators will need to rethink privilege management, reducing the number of privileged accounts. At the same time, organizations will implement broader and deeper risk assessment processes to stay compliant with evolving regulatory requirements. This focus on privilege management and risk assessments will be critical to minimizing exposure and defending against the growing threat of identity-based attacks.

Cybersecurity Will be a Priority

Knowing all of this, the upside is that cybersecurity will continue to be a key investment area, with organizations focusing more on point solutions rather than robust risk management processes. The market will also see an increase in investments in security tools tailored to specific applications and distributed networks.

However, adding more security tools without a cohesive strategy will not lead to meaningful progress. Many of these tools require dedicated resources to manage alerts and reporting, but they often operate in silos and don’t share data effectively. This lack of interoperability can exacerbate security gaps, making it difficult to provide comprehensive vulnerability management. As a result, businesses will face more vulnerabilities, increased attack vectors, and greater opportunities for threat actors to exploit weaknesses.

In 2025, the cybersecurity landscape will be shaped by advanced technologies like AI and ML, alongside evolving threats such as ransomware, nation-state actors, and identity-based phishing. Organizations must focus on effectively using these technologies and researching solutions. To stay secure, businesses will need to strengthen defenses, reduce vulnerabilities, and invest in integrated security systems. While the challenges are substantial, the right strategies can help navigate the complex digital risks.

Learn how Rocket Software can help your organization be prepared for the future.