As noted by the World Economic Forum, leaders anticipate a complex mix of risks – including ransomware, social engineering (phishing) and AI-powered cybercrime – driven by emerging technologies and geopolitical factors.
Data breaches remain at record levels, and new vulnerabilities (from cloud misconfigurations to 5G network flaws) are surfacing all the time. UK surveys echo these global trends: in 2025 one in five British businesses fell victim to cybercrime (mostly phishing) and ransomware incidents doubled year-over-year.
These are cybersecurity threats for 2025 – with a focus on AI-driven attacks, cloud security risks, supply chain breaches, phishing, ransomware, and IoT/5G vulnerabilities.
We explain each threat in accessible yet technical terms, and highlight how organizations (especially UK SMBs and enterprises) can prepare.
1: AI-Driven Cyberattacks
Attackers are increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to mount more advanced and evasive attacks. AI-powered tools can automate reconnaissance, craft convincing social engineering campaigns, and even mutate malware on the fly.
For example, machine learning algorithms enable “AI-driven malware” that can dynamically modify its code to avoid detection and adapt to defenses. Similarly, generative AI tools let criminals create highly realistic fake emails, voice messages or images, making phishing and impersonation much more convincing.
Attackers use AI to scale up their efforts. Automated scanners can probe thousands of systems for unpatched flaws far faster than human hackers could. Criminals also train large language models to generate personalized phishing lures or to write malicious code that bypasses signature-based antivirus.
According to SentinelOne, AI tools allow malware to “deepen its installation, detect sandbox environments, and adapt to endpoint defenses,” outpacing traditional defenses. Likewise, a recent phishing trends report found that deepfake audio and video impersonations grew by about 15% in one year, as attackers used AI to spoof executives and coerce actions.
What’s New in 2025?
Automated phishing and impersonation
Generative AI enables mass production of believable spear-phishing emails or voice phishes. Nearly three-quarters of organizations report rising cyber risks from generative AI, with sophisticated social engineering and ransomware fueled by AI; 42% saw an uptick in phishing incidents. Attackers can clone an executive’s voice or face to trick finance or HR staff into transferring funds or revealing credentials.
Polymorphic and fileless malware
AI/ML techniques can create malware that alters its “digital signature” continuously. SentinelOne notes that criminals use machine learning to mutate malicious code in real time, making it hard for static scanners to catch. This allows zero-day and fileless attacks to slip past outdated defenses.
Adversarial AI
Beyond offense, attackers may probe and corrupt defenders’ AI tools. For example, they might feed poisoned data into an organization’s AI systems to degrade anomaly detection. (Organizations need safeguards like model monitoring and adversarial training to counter this.)
AI for defense
On the flip side, defenders also use AI – for threat hunting, anomaly detection, and automating incident response. Embedding AI in security (e.g. AI-driven XDR platforms) is now considered a best practice for staying ahead of AI-empowered adversaries.
2: Ransomware Evolution
Ransomware continues to be one of the most serious and costly threats, and it is evolving rapidly. What started as simple encrypt-and-demand attacks has grown into multi-faceted extortion schemes.
Today’s ransomware gangs often steal data before encryption and threaten to publicize sensitive files if victims do not pay (“double extortion”), or even implement Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) models that empower less technical criminals.
According to industry research, ransomware groups operate like service providers, offering affiliates easy-to-use toolkits in exchange for a cut of the profits. The barrier to entry is lower, so more attackers are launching ransomware campaigns.
Recent data underscores the impact of modern ransomware. In 2025 the average cost of recovering from a ransomware breach is now around USD $2.7 million.
Notably, even if only 1% of UK businesses reported a ransomware incident in the year to 2025, that still translates to roughly 19,000 organizations nationwide. (The UK Cybersecurity Breaches Survey 2025 confirms ransomware attacks doubled from 2024, affecting an estimated 19,000 businesses.) High-profile global events – such as attacks targeting critical infrastructure – show how far-reaching the impact can be.
What’s New in 2025?
Double (and Triple) Extortion
Attackers no longer need to rely solely on encryption. They exfiltrate data first, then demand payment both for decrypting files and for keeping stolen data private. Some even threaten to launch distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, adding a third extortion layer.
Ransomware-as-a-Service
Crimeware is becoming commoditized. RaaS means inexperienced criminals can rent ransomware platforms from developers. This leads to a surge in attacks by many small groups, each using the latest kit.
Targeting and Tactics
Ransomware groups are targeting larger targets and critical infrastructure. There is evidence of nation-state actors collaborating with ransomware gangs, and even social engineering (e.g. business email compromise) used as an entry point for ransomware.
Defensive Focus
Because of the dangers, organizations are investing in offline backups, strong network segmentation, and incident response planning. However, the UK report notes only about half of businesses have a no-pay policy – meaning nearly half might consider paying the ransom.
Organizations should view ransomware as both a data breach and an operational incident. Strong contingency planning is essential: regular, offsite backups; network segmentation to contain spread; up-to-date endpoint protection; and a practiced incident response plan.
Secure IT Consult’s MDR service (discussed below) integrates specialized ransomware detection and recovery support to mitigate these evolving threats.
3: Cloud Security and Misconfigurations
As more businesses move workloads to cloud infrastructure (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS), cloud security risks have surged. Unfortunately, many cloud incidents are not caused by exotic new exploits but by misconfigurations and human error.
SentinelOne reports that almost one in four cloud security breaches stem from a misconfiguration. For example, publicly exposing an Amazon S3 bucket containing private data, or failing to secure a cloud database, can leak information to attackers.
Common cloud misconfigurations include weak IAM (Identity and Access Management) settings, unsecured API keys, and overly permissive storage buckets. In fact, 82% of cloud misconfigurations are due to human mistakes rather than software flaws.
The complexity increases further in multi-cloud environments: 79% of organizations use multiple cloud providers, creating many more possible gaps. These configuration errors expose data and let attackers pivot from one cloud service to another undetected.
What’s New in 2025?
Credential Theft and Phishing
Attackers often target cloud service credentials via phishing, aiming to move laterally into an organization’s cloud resources. One report finds that over 50% of organizations cite phishing as a prevalent way to steal cloud logins. Once inside a cloud account, a hacker can wreak havoc or exfiltrate sensitive data.
Shadow IT and Data Sprawl
Many businesses adopt cloud apps without central control. This shadow IT creates blind spots. Sensitive data may live in unsanctioned apps or file-sharing services without adequate monitoring.
Container and DevOps Vulnerabilities
Modern cloud apps use containers and microservices for agility, but misconfigured container settings can be exploited. If attackers breach one container, they can move to the main environment. Embedding security into DevOps (a “shift-left” approach) is increasingly necessary to scan for misconfig issues before deployment.
Compliance and Privacy
Regulations like GDPR require protecting cloud data. Misconfigured cloud storage can lead to fines for data breaches. A survey found 83% of organizations worry about cloud data sovereignty, and 55% cite data privacy as a challenge when addressing cloud misconfigs.
Cloud misconfigurations are a leading cause of breaches. To address them, companies should employ automated cloud security posture management (CSPM) tools that continuously scan for misconfigs, enforce strict IAM policies, and audit public cloud assets. Encryption of data-at-rest and data-in-transit in the cloud is also critical. Bullet points to remember (Source: SentinelOne):
- Misconfiguration Incidents: ~23% of cloud breaches are due to misconfigured resources.
- Human Error: 82% of misconfigs arise from mistakes (wrong settings, forgotten updates).
- IAM and Access Issues: Over half of organizations admit they don’t restrict cloud access permissions enough.
- Phishing to Cloud: More than half of organizations see phishing as a top threat to cloud credentials.
- Container Risks: Insecure Docker/Kubernetes setups can allow lateral movement.
By hardening cloud configurations and monitoring continuously, organizations can dramatically reduce exposure. Our MDR service complements these measures by including continuous cloud monitoring – alerting on suspicious activities or misconfig changes in real time.
4: Phishing and Social Engineering Threats
No matter how advanced technology gets, human-focused attacks like phishing remain the most widespread threat. The UK Cyber Breaches Survey consistently finds phishing to be the top cause of breaches – about 85% of UK businesses reported a phishing-related incident in 2025.
Similarly, it is estimated that 80–95% of all cyber breaches begin with a phishing email. Attackers exploit this human factor: one negligent click can bypass firewalls and let attackers in.
What’s New in 2025?
Email and SMS Phishing
Traditional emails crafted to look like messages from the bank or boss still account for the bulk of attacks. Business Email Compromise (BEC) is a lucrative variant, where attackers impersonate executives to trick finance teams. Recent data shows 64% of businesses faced a BEC attack in 2024, with high financial losses.
AI-Enhanced Deepfakes
Phishing is now augmented by AI. Voice cloning and deepfake videos are used to impersonate C-level executives or officials. For instance, scammers may call a staff member using an AI-generated voice of the CEO to authorize a fraudulent transfer. According to the World Economic Forum, organizations are already experiencing generative AI-based phishing and social engineering, making attacks more sophisticated than before.
Targeted Phishing (Spear-Phish)
Attackers research individuals or companies to craft highly tailored lures. This is especially dangerous for high-level targets in finance or HR. Phishing filters may not catch these because they often come from credible-looking sources.
Multi-Channel Social Engineering
Criminals use phone calls, social media, or fake websites in conjunction with email lures. SMS-based phishing (“smishing”) and voice-based attacks (“vishing”) are increasing as people use mobile devices more.
Key phishing trends for 2025
- AI-Powered Impersonation: AI is fueling phishing. One report notes that deepfake impersonations have jumped by ~15% year-over-year. Attackers can cheaply generate custom voices and videos to trick employees. Training users to spot these is an urgent priority.
- Volume and Impact: Phishing volumes have skyrocketed – one analysis claims a 4,000+% increase since 2022 due to AI tools enabling mass targeting. Because the cost of a successful phishing breach averages around $4.9 million, this threat can be extremely costly.
- Evasive Tactics: Many phishing emails now evade basic filters by using image-based text or messing with URL structures. Some campaigns now target Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 specifically.
Mitigation strategies include strong email filtering, multi-factor authentication (so stolen passwords alone aren’t enough), and ongoing user education.
Phishing simulation training can lower risk: Hoxhunt’s data shows that focused awareness training can reduce phishing incidents by up to 86%. In practice, combining technical controls (filtering, link sandboxes, AI detection) with regular training is the best defense against social engineering.
5: Supply Chain Cybersecurity Risks
Supply chain attacks – where adversaries compromise a third-party vendor to reach multiple downstream organizations – have emerged as a critical threat. High-profile cases like the SolarWinds breach demonstrated how attackers can embed malware into a vendor’s software updates and thereby infiltrate thousands of customers simultaneously.
In 2024 and 2025 we’ve seen even more supply chain incidents targeting open-source libraries, managed service providers, and even cloud-hosted services.
What’s New in 2025?
Third-party software and services
Attackers may inject malicious code into widely-used libraries or software distributions. For example, malicious packages uploaded to code repositories (npm, PyPI, etc.) have been identified that target unsuspecting developers and their users.
Vendor compromise
Even if your own network is airtight, a breach at a critical supplier (like an IT services provider or hardware vendor) can give attackers a backdoor into your environment. The World Economic Forum reports that 54% of large organizations cite supply chain complexity and lack of visibility as the biggest barrier to cyber resilience.
Hardware and firmware
The risk extends beyond software. Compromised firmware in networking gear or infected hardware components can create persistent vulnerabilities.
Regulatory focus
Recognizing these dangers, many governments and standards bodies emphasize Supply Chain Security. For example, organizations are increasingly asked to maintain a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) and to vet supplier security controls.
Despite the risk, many organizations lack formal supply chain oversight. In the UK, only about 14% of businesses reported formally reviewing the cyber risks posed by their immediate suppliers (even fewer – 7% – looked at the wider supply chain). This suggests a major blind spot: most companies trust their vendors without continuous monitoring.
To mitigate supply chain threats, firms should:
- Vendor Risk Assessments: Require critical suppliers to demonstrate good cybersecurity practices (e.g. ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials). Include security clauses in contracts and demand timely disclosure of breaches.
- Continuous Monitoring: Use third-party risk monitoring services to get alerts on a vendor’s breach or change in security posture.
- Software Integrity Controls: Validate software and firmware updates before deployment (digital signing, hash verification).
- Network Segmentation: Limit the access that supplier accounts and vendors have to the minimum necessary.
By building resilience at the edges of your supply chain, you reduce the risk of a knock-on attack. Our MDR service incorporates threat intelligence about known supply chain compromises and can monitor for suspicious activity coming from vendor accounts or software.
6: IoT and 5G Vulnerabilities
The rapid growth of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and next-generation networks (5G) is expanding the attack surface of every organization. IoT devices – from security cameras and building sensors to smart machinery – are notoriously insecure by design, and often lack regular patching.
JumpCloud’s analysis highlights some alarming stats: “More than 50% of IoT devices have critical vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit right now…one in three data breaches now involves an IoT device.”. In other words, every poorly secured smart device is a potential entry point.
What’s New in 2025?
Weak default credentials
Many devices ship with default passwords or no authentication. Attackers can exploit this to take control of cameras, printers, etc.
Unpatched firmware
60% of IoT breaches are due to outdated firmware. Vendors may never issue security updates, leaving devices exposed indefinitely.
Botnet formation
Insecure IoT devices are often co-opted into large botnets (like Mirai) for DDoS attacks and scanning operations.
Lateral movement to networks
Once compromised, IoT devices on the same network as core systems can be a stepping stone for attackers.
As for 5G networks, they promise higher speed and connectivity, but also introduce new vulnerabilities. 5G enables a massive increase in connected endpoints (especially in industrial and IoT contexts), which expands the potential attack surface.
Threats to 5G networks include interception of data (if encryption is weak), unauthorized access to base stations or edge nodes, and supply chain risks in the telecom infrastructure itself.
The low latency of 5G also means attacks on edge devices (IoT, industrial controllers) can happen in real time, affecting critical processes immediately.
Splashtop notes that 5G’s faster speeds and broad connectivity “enables more devices and systems to connect, expanding the attack surface for cybercriminals…[with] risks such as data interception, unauthorized access, and vulnerabilities within the infrastructure itself.”.
In short, the IoT/5G threat combination is significant:
- Scale of devices: Billions of new endpoints (sensors, vehicles, factory machines) will be connected via 5G and Wi-Fi. If even a fraction are insecure, attackers gain many ingress points.
- OT integration: More operational technology (OT) is being networked. A compromised IoT sensor in a power grid or factory can have physical-world impacts.
Edge computing: Data processing at the edge (supported by 5G) means many processes run outside the central data center firewall. These nodes must be secured or they become weak links. - Supply and update chain: IoT and 5G devices often use proprietary or specialized software. Ensuring timely updates and secure boot is a new challenge.
To protect IoT and 5G environments, organizations should enforce strong device management: change defaults, segment IoT networks away from sensitive IT assets, and use network-based anomaly detection. Encryption and identity management protocols for IoT devices (often mandated by new standards) are also key. In addition, regular scans for rogue or unpatched devices help limit exposure.
Secure IT Consult Managed Detection and Response (MDR) Service
The threats described above – AI-powered attacks, ransomware, cloud misconfigurations, phishing and IoT vulnerabilities – require a proactive, integrated defense strategy.
Secure IT Consult’s Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service is designed to meet these challenges head-on for UK organizations. Leveraging advanced tools and expert analysts, our MDR service provides continuous monitoring, threat hunting, and incident response that align directly with the 2025 threat vectors.
With our MDR service UK, clients benefit from features such as:
- AI-Enhanced Threat Detection: We use cutting-edge AI and machine learning in our security platform to spot the subtle indicators of novel threats. This helps catch AI-driven malware and deepfake social engineering before they cause damage. For example, unusual patterns of user login or email behavior can trigger real-time alerts.
- 24/7 Monitoring of Cloud Environments: Our MDR continuously scans cloud configurations (Azure, AWS, Office 365, etc.) for misconfigurations and unauthorized changes. We correlate logs from cloud services, on-premises networks, and endpoints to spot lateral movement – whether it’s a misconfigured S3 bucket or a malicious cloud credential usage.
- Advanced Ransomware Defenses: By combining endpoint detection and response (EDR) with network analytics, we detect ransomware behavior (rapid file encryption, unusual data copying) as soon as it starts. Our team also integrates offline backup monitoring and ransomware-specific playbooks. In case of an attack, we help contain the incident and support recovery efforts.
- Phishing Prevention and Response: The MDR team actively analyzes incoming threats (emails, URLs, attachments) and can integrate with email gateway filters to block or quarantine suspect messages. We also use threat intelligence feeds about the latest phishing campaigns. For compromised accounts or credentials, our analysts immediately lock down access and guide password resets.
- Supply Chain Risk Monitoring: We ingest intelligence on known compromised vendors, malicious updates, and third-party breach reports. If a supplier used by the client is breached, our MDR alerts the client and checks for signs of any related intrusion. We also help implement network micro-segmentation, so that even if a partner is compromised, critical systems remain isolated.
Secure IT Consult’s MDR service acts as a force multiplier for your cybersecurity team. By correlating data across endpoints, networks, and cloud platforms and by applying both AI and human expertise, our MDR team ensures that no threat goes unnoticed. Whether it’s a complex AI-enabled cyberattack, a sneaky supply chain backdoor, or the latest IoT exploit, our MDR solutions are calibrated to detect, respond, and protect.
For UK SMBs and enterprises, turning to a managed security partner can vastly improve resilience. By integrating the lessons of 2025’s emerging threats, Secure IT Consult empowers you to stay ahead of adversaries – reducing risk and allowing your business to focus on growth rather than firefighting breaches.
Learn more about our Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service, which delivers 24/7 threat hunting, advanced analytics, and expert incident response tailored to UK organizations. With MDR, you gain both cutting-edge technology and hands-on security expertise to counter the cybersecurity threats of 2025 and beyond.