Keeping up with cyber security trends can be overwhelming, and getting a handle on 2025 is no different. From artificial intelligence (AI) to quantum computing, these are just a few of the trends that will impact the security of your organization in the coming year.

AI will keep things interesting

Expect AI to continue to impact your security from a threat and operations perspective as AI-powered attacks are expected to surge. Critical infrastructure and physical systems will increase in popularity as targets for hackers, including power grids and even entire supply chains. In the meantime, the addition of AI for employee productivity creates other security risks, which will require strong governance to protect data and privacy.

Adoption of AI will continue to be a double edged sword as it not only helps organizations automate and be more productive, but it can also help threat actors be more efficient with their attacks – cybercrime is getting democratized while making phishing emails even harder to detect and security measures easier to circumvent.

AI is also helping evolve how security operations centers (SOCs) function, enabling them to analyze and prioritize threats faster and more efficiently, while Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) will need to look at the pros and cons of AI and best balance innovation with security.

Biometrics will no longer cut it

There are already signs that multi-factor authentication has limitations, but even biometrics aren’t going to be enough in the world of AI deepfakes, which have already compromised biometric authentication systems that use facial recognition or voice analysis. Fingerprints are no longer unique identifiers because they can be hacked just like passwords and faces and voices can be easily duplicated by deepfake technology. Research firm Gartner predicts that by 2026, AI-generated deepfakes will lead to 30% of enterprises no longer considering face biometrics to be reliable.

Insurance, regulatory requirements toughen up

If you have cyber insurance – and you should – be prepared for stricter claims and more limited payouts for claims. If you get hacked, you must prove you have a robust security posture if you want to get a payout from your policy.

You can also expect to face more pressure on the regulatory front whether it’s at home or abroad – where you do business will be determined whether you must comply with emerging cyber security regulations, such as the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), the EU IoT Regulations, SEC Cybersecurity Disclosure Rules, or the NIS2 Directive. The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security just published a suite of voluntary guidelines for critical infrastructure providers as part of the federal government’s efforts to improve Canada’s cyber security resilience. Having to comply with any of these as well as tougher insurance obligations will add operational complexity to your business.

More cloud deployments and IoT endpoints

Security and the cloud will continue to be intertwined as cloud adoption continues to rise along with stricter compliance obligations around how to handle sensitive data. AI threats will require more preventative security and drive the adoption cloud-based security platforms that will leverage AI to make security operations more productive and effective.  

As multi-cloud environments increase, so will the number of internet of things (IoT) devices connected to them, greatly expanding the available attack surfaces for threat actors and requiring even more robust security features as vulnerabilities flourish if configurations are mismanaged or poorly monitored.

Preparing for the quantum threat

While most businesses are years away from having their own quantum computer, quantum technology advances have the potential to crack current encryption standards such as RSA and DES with quantum-resistant cryptography gaining traction in 2025. “Q-Day” is the new Y2K, which means it’s time to thinking about making sure your organization has implemented the NIST standards for post-quantum cryptography.

Keeping on top of security trends has never been easy, and 2025 promises to be the most dynamic year. A managed service provider with a focus on security can help you determine which trends affect you the most and how to best prepare.