SMBs vulnerable to AI-powered cyberattacks and complacent about ransomware
A new report from Cork Protection looks at the security challenges facing small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), backed up by comment from a range of industry leaders. Challenges include an asymmetric threat landscape, defined by the misuse of artificial intelligence and relentless exploitation of human vulnerabilities.
Among the findings are that AI-powered adversaries are launching automated, sophisticated campaigns at unprecedented scale. Also the financial fallout of a breach now extends far beyond ransom, often resulting in business-ending costs.
America embraces AI but some states show greater interest
Americans are increasingly turning to AI to save time, automate tasks, and boost creativity. Research from AI company Chatronix shows that the US is embracing the use of AI but that some states show more interest than others.
Analysis of Google Trends data between June 2024 and June 2025 reveals where searches for ChatGPT and Gemini are most concentrated. Scores from 0-100 represent the relative popularity of each search term by state, as a fraction of total Google searches in that region. Higher values reflect a larger share of interest, not higher total search counts.
Software engineers love building new features but are spending more time on other things
A new survey of 1,200 software engineers and technology leaders finds that only 33 percent of engineers strongly agree that they spend the majority of their time on work that energizes them. They spend just 16 percent of their week building features, despite 93 percent saying it’s the most rewarding part of their jobs
The study from Chainguard looks at how friction from repetitive maintenance, fragmented tools, and burnout continues to weigh heavily on the developer experience, while also revealing how AI and automation ease workloads to give software engineers more time for meaningful work.
Cyber skills gap leads to escalating security risks
A shortage of skilled cyber professionals is leading to critical security roles being unfilled at a time when they are needed most, according to a new skills gap report from Fortinet.
Organizations are turning increasingly to AI to strengthen their cybersecurity postures and fill gaps, but they also acknowledge that AI may be used against them as an engine of new or improved cyberattacks, especially given the lack of AI skillsets across teams.
Poor API security practices could put agentic AI deployments at risk
A new report exposes a disconnect between rapid API adoption and immature security practices, which threatens the success of critical AI and automation initiatives.
The study from Salt Security, based on responses from over 380 professionals tasked with managing APIs, finds 80 percent of organizations lack continuous, real-time API monitoring, leaving them blind to active threats targeting AI agents.
US companies dominate as banks race to adopt AI
The leading banks for AI maturity have pulled away from their peers in 2025, consolidating earlier gains and increasingly realizing ROI for their AI investments.
The latest AI Index from intelligence and benchmarking platform for AI adoption in financial services, Evident, shows JPMorganChase, Capital One and Royal Bank of Canada are the three leading banks in AI adoption.
Is artificial intelligence about to steal your job? [Q&A]
With artificial intelligence becoming more powerful and completing more complex tasks, the natural question being asked in the industry is if and when AI will steal human jobs.
Myths abound about AI working autonomously and eliminating the human workforce, starting with entry-level jobs. In reality, however, AI makes workers better and it works best when paired with humans -- their strategic thinking, specialized judgment, and adaptability remain irreplaceable.
AI assistance delivers gains for SOC analysts
Security Operations Centers are inundated with thousands of alerts each day, most of which are false positives or low-severity issues. This flood of noise leads to alert fatigue, forcing SOC analysts to waste valuable time on false alarms instead of focusing on genuine threats.
A new study from Dropzone AI looking at SOC analyst performance across 148 security analysts shows that AI can improve effectiveness. AI assisted investigations were 22–29 percent more accurate than those in the unassisted control group.
Only 11 percent of US consumers trust their first search result
According to a survey of over 1,000 US consumers conducted on behalf of brand visibility platform Yext, just 11 percent trust the first tool they use when searching online, meaning nearly nine out of 10 double-check or expand their results elsewhere.
The research suggests the age of one-stop search and shop is ending and Americans are increasingly blending traditional search engines with AI tools, social media, and review sites to make purchase decisions.
Most big US companies now flag AI use in their public risk disclosures
A new report from The Conference Board and ESGAUGE finds that 72 percent of S&P 500 companies now flag AI as a material risk in their public disclosures. That’s up from just 12 percent in 2023, underscoring how rapidly AI has moved from experimental pilots to business-critical system.
Reputational risk tops the list, cited by 38 percent of companies. Firms warn that failed AI projects, missteps in consumer-facing tools, or breakdowns in service could quickly erode brand trust. Cybersecurity risks follow, disclosed by 20 percent of firms.
Google builds new AI agent to improve code security
Google has released information on a new AI-powered agent that automatically improves code security by fixing critical software vulnerabilities.
CodeMender has been built over the past six months and the company has already upstreamed 72 security fixes to open source projects, including some as large as 4.5 million lines of code.
Why data lineage is a business strategy, not a technical feature [Q&A]
Modern enterprises are more than ever reliant on data. But that makes understanding how that data is generated, transmitted, changed and used over time -- its lineage, vitally important.
We spoke to Saurabh Gupta, chief of strategy, revenue and growth at The Modern Data Company, to discuss how proactive, context-rich systems of record enable organizations to accelerate, maintain trust, and strategically utilize data.
41 percent of schools suffer AI-related cyber incidents
A new survey of more than 1,400 education leaders across primary, secondary and higher education in the UK and US finds that while AI is already integrated into classrooms and faculty work, development of policies and protections needed to manage new risks in schools is lagging.
The study from Keeper Security shows 41 percent of schools have experienced AI-related cyber incidents, including phishing campaigns and misinformation, while nearly 30 percent reported instances of harmful AI content, such as deepfakes created by students.
The rise of the ‘bionic hacker’ -- AI’s impact on attack and defense
The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming both attack and defense according to a report released today by crowdsourced security platform HackerOne.
It finds that organizations have expanded their AI program adoption by 270 percent this year, while HackerOne’s platform reported a 540 percent surge in prompt injection vulnerabilities to make them the fastest-growing threat in AI security.
AI use increases alongside plummeting consumer trust
A new report from Ping Identity finds that 68 percent of consumers are now using AI, up from 41 percent a year ago. But at the same time fewer than one in five (17 percent) say they have ‘full trust’ in the organizations that manage their identity data.
The findings of the study, carried out by Talker Research which interviewed 10,500 consumers across 11 countries, show that 75 percent say they are more concerned about personal data security than five years ago. In addition 39 percent cite AI-driven phishing as the modern scam that concerns them most.
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