Increasing Influence of AI and Quantum Technology in Cybersecurity Landscape
Preparing for the Cybersecurity Challenges of 2025
As we move towards the second half of 2025, the cybersecurity landscape is evolving rapidly, with a mix of old and new threats looming on the horizon. To tackle this evolving threat landscape, a comprehensive strategy is required, one that addresses both traditional and emerging threats, such as those posed by artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing.
This strategy should focus on investments in people, processes, and technology. A proactive security posture is essential, with ongoing monitoring, enhanced threat intelligence, and thorough incident response plans being key components.
Strengthening Human Defenses
Given the rise of AI-driven social engineering and automated attacks, organizations are prioritizing investments in cyber awareness training. This training aims to help employees identify sophisticated AI-generated phishing and fraud schemes.
Leveraging AI for Defense
Companies are increasingly adopting GenAI-powered cybersecurity tools from established vendors. These tools are designed to detect and mitigate AI-powered attacks at scale and speed, enhancing existing defenses with AI-enabled threat detection and response capabilities.
Building AI Security Maturity
There remains a critical gap where fewer than 10% of organizations have dedicated AI security teams and only 6% have implemented AI-native security controls. Closing this gap by creating teams specialized in AI risk assessment and deploying observability and monitoring for AI workflows is vital.
Risk Assessment and Governance
Organizations must evaluate AI risks beyond retrofitting legacy controls. This includes managing non-human identities and cryptographic assets used by AI systems, as well as designing policies that balance AI capability with data protection.
Preparing for Quantum Threats
While explicit quantum defense strategies are less covered, organizations should start adopting quantum-resistant cryptography and monitor quantum computing advancements to safeguard against future quantum-enabled attacks.
Chris Dimitriadis, Chief Global Strategy Officer at ISACA, emphasizes the importance of planning for a post-quantum world and developing a trained workforce on AI. Small firms, organizations that lack the in-house expertise, and the financial resources for significant investments in sophisticated cybersecurity mitigation technologies are the most vulnerable.
Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) creates secure communication channels by using quantum mechanics concepts, while Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) aims to provide encryption algorithms resilient to quantum attacks. Adapting to the emerging technological ecosystem is crucial for success in the new digital economy.
The digital revolution in 2025 is driven by networked technologies combining engineering, computer algorithms, and culture. This revolution will significantly affect patterns of living, working, and networking. AI threats are now at the top of priority lists for many companies. However, ISACA's worldwide Quantum Computing Pulse Poll reveals that while 62% of cybersecurity and technology experts fear quantum computing will crack current internet encryption, only 5% consider it a top concern for the near future, and only 5% have a clear plan for quantum computing.
Q-Day, the time when powerful quantum computers might use Shor's method to break all public key systems that depend on integer factorization and other security techniques, is a concern for governments and cybersecurity experts. Adversarial nations and nefarious hackers are using AI and machine learning to discern and exploit vulnerabilities in threat-detecting frameworks. One out of every six breaches involved AI-driven attacks, according to a 2025 IBM/Ponemon Institute research study.
In conclusion, effective cybersecurity in the digital revolution involves blending human training, advanced AI-driven defenses, specialized governance of AI systems, and forward-looking cryptographic measures to tackle the evolving threat landscape introduced by AI and quantum technologies. Adapting to the emerging technological ecosystem is crucial for success in the new digital economy.
- To combat the growing threat of AI-driven attacks and automated phishing schemes, organizations are focusing on enhancing employee cyber awareness training, enhancing the capabilities of their cybersecurity teams, and implementing AI-native security controls.
- As the digital revolution continues to advance with the integration of AI, quantum computing, and other technologies, organizations need to establish quantum-resistant cryptography, create specialized AI risk assessment teams, and design policies that balance AI capability with data protection to ensure a secure digital future.
