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Organisations fear AI-driven cyberattacks, but lack key defences

A recent Kaspersky study reveals that businesses are increasingly worried about the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in cyberattacks. According to the findings, 56% of surveyed companies in South Africa reported a rise in cyber incidents over the past year, with almost half of respondents (47%) noting that many of these attacks were likely AI-driven.

The study underscores the reality that AI, which has revolutionised numerous industries, is now also empowering cybercriminals, adding an additional layer of complexity to the threats businesses face.

In its latest study titled Cyber defence & AI: Are you ready to protect your organisation? Kaspersky gathered the opinions of IT Security and Information Security professionals working for SMEs and Enterprise-level companies regarding new challenges in protecting their organisations against cyberattacks involving AI.

Leveraging AI by cybercriminals is a serious concern for 76% of respondents from South Africa. The pressure of this challenge is pushing companies to re-assess their cybersecurity strategies and look for proactive and comprehensive solutions. To effectively tackle AI-amplified threats, businesses in South Africa consider regular training to build internal expertise (98%), highly qualified personnel (98%), and relevant external cybersecurity expertise (98%) as the most important factors for protecting their organisations. They also recognise the importance of having enough staff in their IT teams (96%) and using third-party security solutions (91%).

Despite rising awareness, the study reveals a concerning gap in readiness among many companies. Just under half of the organisations surveyed in South Africa lack crucial resources needed to address these sophisticated threats – 44% do not have the relevant external cybersecurity expertise at their disposal, 38% report that their IT teams are not large enough, 36% lack highly qualified staff, and 31% fall short in regular training efforts.

Additionally, 42% of respondents do not think they have adequate security solutions, exposing them to potential vulnerabilities. While most respondents claim to know how to address this lack of resources, the fact remains that they are not in place.

“The cybersecurity landscape today mirrors past challenges, with businesses questioning if current solutions suffice. Ransomware, once a primary threat, now demonstrates a dangerous surge, and business decision-makers start questioning the causes of this resurgence. The recent hype around AI offers an easy, if not entirely correct, explanation. In reality, while using AI to create convincing phishing messages or more effective reconnaissance may be of some help, the root causes are most often more straightforward; cybercriminals have become more organised, better at collaborating, developing innovative attack strategies, and lowering the barriers for less skilled and resourceful attackers.”

“So, while it is useful to keep an eye on AI progress that can enable both attackers and defenders with new options, there are solid strategies companies can – and should – implement immediately. Companies should prioritise securing critical IT infrastructure with robust, multi-layered solutions that offer a unified security context. An XDR ecosystem, combined with skilled expertise – whether in-house or through a managed service – can greatly enhance defences.

Additionally, ongoing employee training, including cybersecurity basics and safe AI practices, adds another critical layer of protection for the organisation,” says Oleg Gorobets, a corporate infrastructure protection expert at Kaspersky.

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