Joy Agwunobi 

As the world marks Cybersecurity Awareness Month this October, the World Economic Forum (WEF) has warned that cyberattacks are accelerating at an unprecedented pace, with artificial intelligence (AI) now at the heart of both the problem and the solution.

The Forum’s latest Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2025 reveals that the average weekly number of cyberattacks per organisation has more than doubled in four years, rising from 818 in the second quarter of 2021 to 1,984 during the same period in 2025. Within the last two years alone, attacks increased by 58 percent, underscoring the scale of the challenge facing businesses worldwide.

According to the report, organisations are navigating a “complex threat landscape” driven by geopolitical tensions, rapid digitalisation, and the dual impact of AI as a defensive tool and a weapon in the hands of cybercriminals. Small businesses remain particularly vulnerable, with seven times more firms reporting insufficient cyber resilience compared to 2022.

“Cybersecurity is no longer just a technical skill but a life skill,” said Ivan John Uy, the Philippines’ former Secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology, during a WEF session, stressing that social engineering and deepfakes are eroding traditional defences.

Key global trends and events shaping cybersecurity in 2025

The WEF further outlined a series of headline developments that have defined the cyber landscape this year. One of the most pressing concerns is the tightening of budgets. Despite the rising tide of cyber threats, cybersecurity spending has not kept pace, with growth slowing to just 4 percent in 2025 compared to 17 percent in 2022. This financial squeeze has pushed many companies to rely more heavily on artificial intelligence to bolster their defences, even as the scarcity of skilled cybersecurity professionals makes hiring increasingly costly.

Yet, while AI has emerged as a defensive lifeline, it has also become a weapon in the hands of cybercriminals. Generative AI is now being used to power phishing scams, identity theft, and zero-day exploits targeting previously unknown vulnerabilities. Anthropic, the maker of the Claude chatbot, revealed that its technology has already been misused by hackers to develop malicious code affecting at least 17 organisations, while also aiding in the selection of targets and ransom demands.

Exploiting human trust remains another critical front in the cyber war. Groups like the notorious Scattered Spider have launched attacks against global giants such as Allianz, Qantas, and Marks & Spencer by impersonating employees and contractors to gain unauthorised access to corporate IT systems. These incidents underline the message that cybersecurity is no longer the responsibility of IT teams alone, but a shared responsibility across organisations.

The rise of deepfakes has added a new dimension of sophistication to such attacks. Earlier this year, British engineering firm Arup was deceived into transferring $25 million after criminals used AI-generated clones of senior executives during a video call. In another case, Ferrari narrowly avoided falling victim when a deepfake voice of its chief executive attempted to authorise fraudulent activity, but was thwarted by an employee who asked a question only the real CEO could answer.

The cost of such breaches has proven devastating for businesses. Marks & Spencer, for instance, lost an estimated $300 million in annual profits after a ransomware attack in April forced the suspension of its online click-and-collect service for 15 weeks. The incident reinforced the fact that cyber resilience requires more than technical solutions, demanding a comprehensive strategy that addresses governance, culture, and preparedness.

Governments have also stepped up their responses by tightening cyber laws. Across Europe, a wave of digital resilience regulations including the Digital Operational Resilience Act, the Cyber Resilience Act, and the AI Act came into force this year, while the United Kingdom announced plans to outlaw ransomware payments in the public sector in a bid to remove incentives for hackers.

At the same time, AI has become a key tool in national cyber defences. OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, signed a $200 million contract with the United States Department of Defense to strengthen AI-powered defence systems, while Microsoft extended no-cost cybersecurity support to European governments following a surge in regional cyberattacks. France’s telecoms giant Orange also launched a new defence and homeland security division aimed at supporting European organisations.

The global nature of cybercrime was underscored by coordinated law enforcement crackdowns. In August, INTERPOL and AFRIPOL dismantled 25 illicit cryptocurrency mining centres across Africa, leading to 1,200 arrests and the recovery of $97 million in assets, a demonstration of how cross-border collaboration can yield significant results.

Despite such efforts, the global shortage of cybersecurity talent remains one of the most formidable obstacles to resilience. Only 14 percent of organisations surveyed by the Forum reported having sufficient expertise to combat cybercrime effectively, with developing economies the hardest hit. To close the gap, the Forum has urged greater investment in public–private partnerships, pointing to successful models in countries such as Kenya and Saudi Arabia where collaboration has helped build stronger cyber capacity.

The year has also seen cyberattacks disrupt critical infrastructure, most notably in the aviation sector. In September, airports in London, Berlin, Dublin, and Brussels were hit by an attack on shared IT systems used for check-in and baggage handling. The incident caused long queues, flight delays, and widespread cancellations, underscoring the vulnerabilities of international travel networks and the pressing need for global coordination to protect cross-border operations.