Over a third of organizations adjust security strategy for AI-driven threats
More than one in three organizations (37 percent) say AI-driven attacks forced them to adjust their security approach over the past year according to a new report from Netwrix.
The global survey of 2,150 IT and security professionals from 121 countries finds 30 percent say their business uses AI and must now protect it like any other critical system. Compliance is catching up too, 29 percent report auditors now require proof of data security and privacy in AI-based systems.
“Microsoft reported that identity-based threats surged by 32 percent in the first half of 2025, with over 97 percent of those attacks relying on password compromise,” says Grady Summers, CEO of Netwrix. “AI is amplifying the speed, scale, and sophistication of such attacks, but it’s also helping defenders neutralize threats faster than ever before. In this AI arms race between attackers and defenders, the organizations that stay ahead will be those that can rapidly identify and eliminate identity and data risks using AI-powered solutions that help their teams move faster and with more precision.”
The survey does show that AI is strengthening defenses, 28 percent say cybersecurity AI tools improved detection and response, in addition 20 percent have offloaded some IT/security workloads to AI.
Nearly a third (29 percent) of respondents say adopting AI-based solutions would be among their top three actions to strengthen cybersecurity. Implementing AI-based tools as a top-five IT priority has surged 189 percent in two years, from nine percent in 2023 to 26 percent in 2025.
“The long-standing challenge of understaffed security teams has become even more pressing as AI increases the efficiency and volume of cyberattacks,” says Jeff Warren, chief product officer at Netwrix. “At the same time, AI can also help close the talent gap. Already security solutions powered by AI are enabling security teams to identify and remediate threats, eliminating guesswork and manual effort.”
You can get the full report from the Netwrix site.
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