As businesses make plans for the year ahead, they shouldn’t lose sight of the growing risks from cyberattacks. Threats such as ransomware are likely to increase in 2025, but fortunately, there are proactive steps employers can take. Here are some predictions that professionals at Forvis Mazars have for this year based on their observations, along with tips to help companies prepare for potential threats.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

As AI continues to develop, expect the technology to affect both cyberattacks and cyber protection.1 Industry professionals have noticed that the time keeps dwindling between the moment a vulnerability is identified and when it is exploited—meaning that potential attacks can occur in minutes, not days. And those attacks don’t necessarily need a lot of technical expertise.

Cybercriminals with minimal cyber and development skills can easily conduct automated attacks utilizing AI in which malware is created through AI platforms and can be utilized to steal an individual’s money or organization’s data. In the past, thieves often required a skill set and funding for attacks, but the technology has made their efforts more cost-effective. On the flip side, AI also can help organizations more quickly identify threats, respond, and protect data if utilized in threat monitoring and response technologies and tools.

Ransomware Attacks

Ransomware is expected to continue to give businesses of all sizes headaches, including the risk of double extortion.2 That’s an attack in which malicious actors initiate a ransomware attack but also steal data from an organization and threaten to sell it on the dark web, resulting in either a backup plan for a failed ransom or a secondary threat. The entity may pay $1 million to have its data unlocked, only to have the cybercriminal say later that they kept a copy of the data and will sell it unless they receive another million.

Professionals at Forvis Mazars recommend pursuing all other remedies before resorting to paying a ransom. Our cyber team can help entities find ways to restore systems and potentially unlock their data.

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