A whopping 95% of data breaches in the year 2024 can be attributed to human mistakes.
In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, cybersecurity has become a paramount concern for organisations worldwide. One of the most significant developments in this field is the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to defend against cyber-attacks and insider threats.
According to recent findings, an overwhelming 95% of organisations are now leveraging AI in their cybersecurity efforts. However, the report also indicates that only about 10% of these companies currently use AI for defence against cyberattacks, suggesting a gap in the adoption of AI-driven threat strategies.
Despite this rising number of successful attacks, a staggering 91% of companies still consider their cybersecurity strong. This figure, however, raises concerns about the preparedness of many organisations in the face of increasingly sophisticated AI-driven threats.
Companies embracing AI for defence are investing in solutions such as agentic AI workflows, graph models, and autonomous cyber-immune systems. These systems enable proactive analysis of attack surfaces and real-time threat containment, positioning AI as a foundational element in modern cybersecurity.
However, the potential of AI in cybersecurity remains largely untapped, with the current focus primarily on automation and detection support. Broader proactive, personalised, and autonomous AI defences are expected to expand in the coming years.
While AI is proving to be a valuable asset in the fight against cyber threats, human error continues to pose a significant risk. In 2024, human error was responsible for 95% of data breaches. Incidents such as the Change Healthcare ransomware attack, linked to an employee's compromised credentials through a phishing email, underscore this vulnerability.
Moreover, 33% of security decision-makers express fear of mistakes and human error in handling email threats, while 27% are concerned about employee fatigue causing lapses in vigilance.
The rise of collaboration tools like Slack and Zoom, designed to aid communication and project coordination, has also introduced new security challenges. Nearly half of respondents reported an increase in threats from these tools in the past 12 months, and 79% agree that they pose new threats and security loopholes.
In response to these concerns, 85% of organisations have increased their cybersecurity budgets in the last 12 months, with 47% emphasising the need for budget for email security and 52% highlighting the need for budget for collaboration tool security.
However, despite these efforts, insider threats, credential misuse, and user-driven errors continue to be the main causes of data breaches. Moreover, 66% of respondents expect data loss from insiders to grow over the coming year, and 61% anticipate their organisation will suffer a negative business impact from an attack linked to a collaboration tool in 2025.
Perhaps the most concerning development is the growing concern about sensitive data leaks via GenAI tools. 81% of respondents are worried about this potential risk, underscoring the need for continued vigilance and innovation in the realm of cybersecurity.
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