How to protect your business from the three biggest cybersecurity threats in 2025

The conversation around cybersecurity often centers on established threats like phishing scams and conventional malware. While these risks remain, a new category of sophisticated dangers is taking shape — demanding a higher level of strategic foresight from enterprise technology leaders.

The rapid adoption of complex systems, from generative AI to the Internet of Things, has introduced vulnerabilities that many businesses are not yet equipped to handle.

Understanding these challenges is crucial to create robust defences. We explore three significant, interconnected threats requiring a fundamental shift in how organisations protect their operations and information.

Risk 1: Improperly Deployed Generative AI

Generative AI tools present significant opportunities for businesses, offering pathways to greater efficiency, reduced expenditure, and accelerated growth. While they appear straightforward to operate, the technology underpinning them is profoundly complex.

AI systems, particularly those used for security functions like identifying anomalous network activity, learn from the data they are fed. If these systems are configured incorrectly, they become vulnerable to 'data poisoning'. This type of attack involves malicious actors covertly introducing corrupt data into the AI's learning model.

Over time, this can warp the AI's operational understanding, conditioning it to overlook genuine threats or to misinterpret legitimate actions as malicious.

Businesses must therefore choose technology partners with demonstrable expertise in secure AI implementation, not just broad IT capabilities. Scrutinise their credentials in handling AI-specific vulnerabilities like data poisoning, their history of secure AI rollouts, and their specific protocols for safeguarding your business data within AI frameworks.

Establish explicit policies for your staff on the safe and acceptable use of generative tools. This should include prohibiting employees from inputting sensitive company or client information into these platforms unless clear protective measures are active.

Risk 2: Smart Devices and the 'Internet of Things'

Historically, a clear boundary existed between a company's intranet and the public internet. This distinction has now blurred. The assumption that everything 'inside' your network perimeter is secure leaves a business dangerously exposed.

Given the interconnected nature of networks, devices, and the internet, every component connected to your system requires robust security. This includes laptops used for remote work, smart devices such as networked printers and security cameras, and mobile devices like company phones.

Smart devices, known as the Internet of Things (IoT), are especially susceptible to cyber attacks. As of 2024, there were more than 16 billion connected IoT devices. Many have considerable processing power, amplifying the potential damage if they are commandeered by hostile actors.

When hackers infect insecure IoT devices with malware, these compromised units can be organised into a "botnet"—a network under the attacker's control. On command, all devices in the botnet can simultaneously inundate a target, such as an e-commerce website, with internet traffic. This flood of traffic overwhelms the target, forcing it offline.

Although manufacturers may claim their IoT products adhere to security standards, their protective measures are often insufficient. As these devices become more deeply integrated into business operations, the attendant risks grow.

The solution is to implement a Zero Trust security model. Zero Trust operates on the principle that no device or user is trusted by default, even if already connected to the network. In the future, this may involve granting access through methods like continuous biometric verification, where a user’s identity is confirmed throughout a session by monitoring unique biological or behavioural traits (such as a fingerprint, face, or movement), rather than only at the point of login.

Adhere to the 'principle of least privilege'. An IoT security camera, for instance, should only need to communicate with its designated secure server and never with unrelated systems, such as the finance department.

Compile a comprehensive inventory of all connected smart devices and immediately replace all default passwords with strong, unique alternatives.

Request that your technology partner isolates these devices on a separate network segment where feasible. Keep device software updated with the latest patches and employ basic network monitoring to detect and block any unusual activity.

Risk 3: Quantum Computing Attacks

Looking ahead, the threat of quantum attacks is becoming more pronounced. These are cyber attacks carried out by exceptionally powerful computers, capable of breaking the encryption that protects our digital information in systems like email and messaging. While it may seem like a distant problem, "harvest now, decrypt later" strategies make the quantum threat immediate. Attackers can collect and store encrypted data today, anticipating that future quantum capabilities will allow them to decrypt it.

The most likely target is data transmitted across your business networks. The simple truth is that no digital information can be considered entirely secure. Even the security tools you employ could potentially be turned against you unless they are deployed and configured by highly trained professionals who grasp these complex, interwoven dangers.

Leaders need to prioritise expertise in quantum; your security strategy must account for these sophisticated, interconnected threats.

When evaluating any new technology, particularly AI-driven tools or services that will process sensitive data, carefully assess how they are protected against these emerging threats. Begin to monitor whether suppliers are addressing their readiness for quantum threats and, where appropriate, ask direct questions about their preparedness.

Remember, any tool's security is contingent on its configuration. It is critical to ensure your security solutions are managed and configured by proficient professionals. This means investing in partners or personnel with a genuine comprehension of these evolving risks. They can assist in selecting the right tools, ensuring their correct implementation, and adapting your defences as the threat landscape shifts.

Or — need help? SBM can be your first line of defense, helping you understand and protect against these threats to reduce your vulnerabilities. Get in touch to find out more.