AI is challenging the geopolitical status quo

AI-powered cyberattacks are becoming powerful new weapons. Organizations need to act fast to close the gap between today’s defenses and tomorrow’s threats. These attacks are only going to grow.

New data from Armis Labs shows that the threat of AI in cyberwarfare is growing. Its third annual global report finds rising concern among organizations and governments worldwide. 73% of IT leaders worry that nation-states are using AI to launch smarter, more targeted attacks.

“AI is enabling nation-state actors to stealthily evolve their tactics to commit acts of cyberwarfare at any given moment,” said Nadir Izrael, CTO of Armis. “At the same time, threats are emerging at overwhelming rates from smaller nations and non-state actors leveraging AI to elevate to near-peer cyber threats. It is imperative that cybersecurity leaders shift their programs left of boom, enabling them to stop cyberattacks capable of crippling their operations before there’s any impact to their organization.”

81% of IT leaders say moving to a proactive cybersecurity posture is a top goal for their organization in the year ahead, but 58% of organizations admit that they currently only respond to threats as they occur, or after the damage has already been done.

Market consolidation, complex regulatory landscapes and gaps in legacy security tool stacks have challenged organizations’ abilities to stay ahead of threats. While many wish to implement AI-driven cybersecurity tools in a proactive defense move, half of IT decision-makers surveyed acknowledge their teams lack the necessary expertise to implement and manage the technology.

“Current industry dynamics create an appealing environment for malicious actors to intensify their efforts through automated AI offensive-driven technologies,” said Michael Freeman, Head of Threat Intelligence at Armis. “Organizations that leverage proven AI security solutions will realize a greater impact in their ability to equip their teams with the resources and time they need to anticipate the tactics that could be used against them and harden their environments in response. Embracing a more proactive approach to threats has never been more important, and closing that divide between intention and ample preparation is within reach thanks to significant advancements in cyber exposure management.”

Rising doubt in cyber defenses as nation-state threats grow

Additional key global findings from this year’s report include:

• 85% of IT decision-makers confirm that offensive techniques regularly bypass their security tools.
• Only 53% of IT leaders believe that their government can defend its citizens and organizations against an act of cyberwarfare, while just 33% strongly agree that their own organization is prepared to handle a cyberwarfare attack and respond to related threats.
• Across the globe, IT decision-makers consistently point to three dominant state-sponsored threats: Russia (73%), China (73%) and North Korea (40%).
• 72% of IT leaders believe that the cyber capabilities of nation-state actors have the potential to trigger a full-scale cyberwar, with devastating consequences for global critical infrastructure.
• 75% of IT decision-makers believe cyberwarfare attacks will increasingly target institutions representing free press and independent thought – a sharp rise from last year’s 42%.