State of Security 2024: The Race to Harness AI
Security teams navigate the new frontier of generative AI – all while facing tightening compliance regulations and rising geopolitical tensions.
Artificial Intelligence
Balancing security risk and reward of generative AI
Generative AI has gone mainstream. Meanwhile, security teams are racing to keep up with the pace of innovation and mitigate the new risks that accompany generative AI:
- 91% of security teams are using generative AI tools.
- 65% of respondents admit they lack education about generative AI.
- 77% say that data leakage will increase with generative AI usage.
LANDSCAPE
The new threat landscape is politically and financially charged
Rising geopolitical tensions are influencing the behavior of threat actors in 2024, with ransomware and cyber extortion as a central focus:
- 52% of respondents experienced a data breach.
- 86% say the current geopolitical climate is contributing to their organization being targeted more.
- 48% experienced cyber extortion, making it more popular than ransomware itself.
See the report for details on supply chain attacks, business email compromise, malicious insiders and DDoS attacks.
COMPLIANCE
Compliance gets personal for security execs
Tightening compliance mandates remind security professionals that missteps can lead to consequences as serious as jail time, marking a transformational shift in the industry:
- 76% say the risk of personal liability is making cybersecurity a less attractive field.
- 91% say that everyone on their security team makes compliance a part of their job.
- 63% expect organizations to overreport breaches as material to avoid penalties.
LESSONS
Lessons from security leaders
In the race to harness AI, some organizations are pulling ahead of the pack. We identified the shared characteristics of high-performing security teams:
- 95% say they have the resources and authority to address challenges.
- 48% declare AI as a top initiative for 2024.
- 76% increased collaboration with IT operations to improve digital resilience.
