The report reveals how artificial intelligence is being harnessed on both sides of the cyber conflict, creating opportunities and challenges in equal measure.
64% of CISOs blame inadequate support for the rise in successful cyberattacks. AI-powered attacks top CISOs’ concerns, followed by cyber extortion and data breaches. 86% of cybersecurity professionals believe AI can address the cybersecurity skills gap.
The study highlights a growing disparity in priorities between board members and Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs). While 52% of CISOs are focused on adopting emerging technologies like GenAI, only 33% of board members share their enthusiasm. This disconnect extends to budget allocation, with just 29% of CISOs believing they have sufficient funding to secure their organizations, compared to 41% of board members who think otherwise. This lack of alignment is raising red flags, as nearly two-thirds (64%) of CISOs report that insufficient resources have contributed to cyberattacks on their organizations. For cybercriminals, GenAI is proving to be a game-changer. It enables them to make existing attacks more effective (32%), increase attack volumes (28%), and create entirely new types of threats (23%). On the defensive side, security teams are leveraging AI for tasks such as identifying risks (39%), analyzing threat intelligence (39%), and prioritizing threat detection (35%). However, concerns about AI-powered attacks dominate among CISOs, with 36% identifying them as their primary worry, followed by cyber extortion (24%) and data breaches (23%). Greg Clark, Director of Product Management at OpenText Cybersecurity, emphasized the need for comprehensive training alongside AI-powered solutions. “Phishing scams and insider threats are only getting more sophisticated. Whether a large enterprise or a small business, education and awareness across all departments need to be layered on top of AI-powered technologies that detect threats,” Clark said as reported by Tech Radar. The cybersecurity skills gap remains a pressing issue, but AI is seen as a potential solution. A significant majority of respondents—86%—believe AI can assist in onboarding entry-level talent, while 65% see it enhancing the productivity of experienced professionals. To address these challenges, organizations are ramping up security training for compliance and legal teams, with over 90% prioritizing cross-disciplinary education. The report underscores the importance of maintaining robust cyber-hygiene practices, such as enforcing strong passwords, implementing multi-factor authentication, and assessing third-party vendors for vulnerabilities.
