Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity: Outlook for 2025

September 18, 2024

With cybercrime on the rise and expected to cost the world more than $10 trillion every year, the application of AI in data protection has never been more important. Read on to investigate how business entities can strengthen their online defenses with the help of new technologies.

Market Insights: The Growth of AI in Cybersecurity

The increasing sophistication in identifying genuine threats presents an opportunity to enhance protection. By integrating the benefits of AI, machine learning, and cloud technology, optimizing these defenses appears to be a promising approach. Here are some key findings and forecasts regarding future developments within the landscape covered in this article:

  • AI in the data protection market was USD 22.4 billion in 2023. (Financial News Media)

  • The quantity is anticipated to rise at an average annual growth rate of 21.9% from the financial year 2023 to the financial year 2028. (Markets and Markets)

  • The revenue generated from the products is expected to rise to $60.6 billion in 2028. (Financial News Media)

Additionally, organizations are beginning to understand the importance of intrusion alerts and responses as they become more frequent and sophisticated. Thus, by adding automation and intelligent data, we can improve threat detection in real time to the next level. The following segments dive deeper into additional defense technology features that consumers and developers demand in the expanding AI cybersecurity field.

The Rising Threat Landscape: Why AI Matters

Two ways can be used to attack IoT devices’ vulnerabilities. The first is a more specific remote attack, which is initiated from a distance, usually over the Internet. The second is what experts refer to as local attacks, where the attacker gains physical control of the target device. 

The majority of cyberattacks have been carried out by people with simple appetites. In the past twenty years, at least 85% of attacks have targeted regular people with small savings. On the other hand, when a group of individuals has hundreds of members who orchestrate campaigns to extort funds from their targets, they are called ‘cyber mafia.’ They focus on more prominent companies and often threaten them for tens of millions of dollars, revealing the dark side of AI. 

The Dark Side of AI in Cybersecurity

AI has the potential to improve the entire sector, but it also brings new risks, with cybercriminals using it to carry out more targeted and advanced attacks. Here are some possible challenges:

1. AI-Powered Attacks

Applying of artificial intelligence is increasing continuously from the year 2020 to 2022. Peculiarly, it is the period when the levels of cybercriminal activity have escalated most significantly. This indicates that the incurrence in AI has actually been paralleled by the surge in cybercrime.

To further illustrate this connection, we can look at the regions that had the highest number of cyber-attacks: the Asia Pacific region at 31%, followed by Europe at 28% and North America at 25%. Now, it’s time to compare the share of the AI industry by region. Asia Pacific leads the pack at 36.84% of the overall market share of this industry, followed by Europe at 24.97% and North America a distant third at 23.93%.

2. Ethical Concerns

Hackers are leveraging artificial intelligence to create more sophisticated malware and scams every day. One of the most concerning aspects is that this technology can produce highly convincing phishing messages that are difficult for users to detect. The proliferation of such tools is anticipated to intensify cyberattacks by 2025, prompting enterprises to enhance their surveillance.

3. Skill Shortages

As mentioned above, smart technology is becoming incorporated into cyber-defense systems, and an overdose implies that there will be a need for people proficient in both AI and cyber protection. But there is a serious deficiency of the necessary skills in the field at present. By 2025, companies might not be able to source the talent for the successful deployment and management of intelligent defense systems.

Key points: 

Present investigations show that data breaches will continue increasing, with malware as the most prominent one, with 41% of enterprises reporting malware attacks within the last year. The second most common type of attack is phishing, and the third is ransomware. The key objectives of these incidents abuse cloud assets, SaaS applications, cloud storage, and infrastructure management.

Current research suggests that data breaches will continue to rise, with malware being the fastest-growing threat of 2024. 41% of enterprises experienced a malware attack in the past year, closely followed by phishing and ransomware. The primary targets for these attacks are cloud assets, including SaaS applications, cloud-based storage, and cloud infrastructure management. But there is a remedy for every ailment, so here is how companies can employ AI against attacks to stand their ground in the industry. 

Leveraging AI for Enhanced Defense Strategies

In response to this growing threat, AI is poised to play a crucial role in enhancing IT defenses. Here are some key ways AI is expected to transform the cybersecurity landscape by 2025:

1. Automated Threat Detection and Response

Automated detection and response, or ADR, is the latest in technology based on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to stop and prevent threats automatically. This is actually an enhanced form of what is commonly referred to as conventional endpoint protection. The security operations center in ADR uses real-time monitoring to collect data and send notifications. This helps the existing workforce focus on important matters. They can be very useful for small and medium enterprises (SMBs) as well as MSPs who may require additional money to gather a large and efficient team.

ADR helps you:

  • Automate activities like investigation and validation of threats as well as the aftermath cleanup

  • Address security alerts in a shorter amount of time and minimize system outages

  • Get better results for the detection process with the least number of false alarms

2. Predictive Analytics for Anticipating Cyber Threats

Businesses can utilize neural networks to sense and prepare for dangerous breaches. Predictive analytics can be combined with past attack data to identify when and where future attacks will likely come from. This will also aid analysts in improving the distribution of security structures to counter cyber threats before they attack.

3. The Future of Biometric Authentication

The Biometrics Industry Report further reveals that the annual data security for the biometrics industry is growing at the rate of 10.34%, which clearly implies that data is sensitive and can easily be hacked. According to specialists, the use of AI by 2025 will enhance several methods of authentication such as facial recognition or fingerprint scanning since these methods shall be more secure and convenient to use. It will also enable the use of different patterns to detect and alert the users about such attempts before unauthorized access takes place.

4. Smarter Security Systems

And just like cybercriminals can take advantage of AI, so can online protection companies. Deep learning algorithms will soon be able to combine different defense measures into one system. Furthermore, established frameworks will adapt to new threats and act to counter them in real time. Any organization that employs these artificial intelligence systems will have the advantages of enhanced threat intelligence as well as faster response to threats.

Preparing for 2025: Strategies for Organizations

As online threats continue to evolve, management should consider the following as ways to protect their work.

  • Invest in Training: One major issue of today, that can only be addressed by the federal government is the shortage of qualified specialists. This challenge can be mitigated through staff training and attracting newly qualified professionals in the fields of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.

  • Adopt a Holistic Approach: Businesses should integrate with other strategies within an organization rather than keep them isolated. This approach involves utilizing advanced analytics in threat detection, incident management, and user recognition.

  • Stay Informed: Continuous assessment of emerging risks and advancements enables enterprises to adapt and stay ahead of their competitors.

  • Prioritize Ethics: The use of these innovations in cyberspace requires companies to ensure that their impact remains ethical and respects privacy. Clear protocols are essential to prevent misuse, particularly concerning fraudulent activities.

Conclusion

Artificial intelligence is poised to play a crucial role in the future of online protection frameworks. By 2025, this technology will present both opportunities and challenges for enhancing organizational security against complex cyber threats. Adopting a proactive, ethical, and informed approach is essential to counter hackers’ evolving tactics.

Businesses should implement Advanced Detection and Response systems to address these emerging threats, including automation utilized by attackers. Small and medium-sized enterprises and managed service providers need modern, efficient solutions to bolster security for themselves and their clients.

These solutions make it easier to manage threats from different workflows, automate daily monitoring, and improve the efficiency of existing teams. All in all, leveraging machine learning for threat identification and prediction facilitates better management of high volumes of incoming malware traffic.

Subscribe to our weekly news digest.

Join now and become a part of our fast-growing community.

Invalid Email Address
Thanks for subscribing.
We'll be sending you our best soon.
Something went wrong, please try again later