Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2025.  Read them in this 17th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.

By Harlin Lipman, Senior Manager Information Security, Chronosphere

In the world of information security, staying ahead of emerging threats and new technologies isn't just important-it's essential. As the year draws to a close, now is the perfect time for security professionals to reflect on the past year's challenges and gear up for what's coming next.

In this spirit, I'm sharing my predictions for the top five security trends we will see more of in 2025 - and some practical tips on how to prepare for them:

1.  Evolving Technologies and Threats: As security professionals, we are accustomed to ever-changing technologies and threats. Just uttering the words critical zero-day vulnerability is probably enough to make most security individuals show signs of fatigue. 2024 has been the year of AI, and I predict we will see even more next year. From standalone new products to existing SaaS products, AI will continue to be a focus for companies to implement, enhance, and increase user engagement. 

Much like the innovative new features AI brings, we must assess and mitigate against a host of new security threats. These threats include data leakage, threat actors utilizing AI tools to implement more sophisticated attacks, and lack of adherence to compliance and regulatory frameworks such as GDPR and the EU AI Act.

Next year, we will continue safeguarding businesses from these threats by increasing user training and awareness around AI, better monitoring of AI tools being utilized, and increased focus on Data Loss Prevention systems to prevent leakage of sensitive or prohibited data.

2.  Leadership and Accountability: CISOs have been under immense pressure from the evolving security threats, increased sophistication of attacks, and ever-changing technology changes. Historically, most CISOs have not been given a seat at the table regarding strategic and board-level conversations. As more attacks become widespread and widely known, more CISOs will push for and receive a seat at the table. 

When security is baked in by design across the company, and risks are communicated clearly to the board, organizations will be set up for greater success. Giving CISOs a seat at the table shows that the company's management and board of directors are committed to being honest and ethical and that security is a strategic priority.  Having leadership buy-in and then vocalizing and acting on security initiatives naturally sets the tone, allowing for easier buy-in for security initiatives among individual teams.

3.  Collaborative Security: Security mustn't be siloed within organizations. At the end of the day, security is everyone's responsibility, and an organization can only be fully protected when its employees follow all standards and policies implemented. I predict that we will see a greater emphasis on breaking down these silos and reaching further into the organization. 

At Chronosphere, we are identifying and creating more security champions to help drive our mission forward. We are also increasing our training and awareness by doing regular, timely, and informative bulletins and reminders.

4.  Foundational Security: Data is the lifeblood of any organization. Whether that is a technology company's source code that it develops or a healthcare company's patient data that it stores, data is the pinnacle for companies. Still, it is also the prime target for the bad guys. The grave situation is that many companies still operate without basic or foundational security practices implemented. This is especially true for earlier-stage organizations. I foresee that 2025 will be the year to focus on building out the foundational security practices that need to be implemented for those types of organizations. This includes having better visibility, creating security standards, and adhering to said security standards against all data stores and infrastructure. 

5.  Proactive Security: Far too often, organizations wait until they have a security vulnerability or, worse, a breach to learn from their security program. Many organizations have good detective controls around security but need better proactive security practices. There will likely be a greater emphasis on proactively identifying and addressing potential areas of weakness before they impact the business or customer experience. Organizations will get better at doing this by conducting penetration tests, threat models, and conducting tabletop exercises. 

Although security professionals will encounter many challenges and changes in 2025, one thing will remain the same - there will be no shortage of threats security professionals must protect businesses from. By staying informed, advocating for security at all levels of the organization, and continuously educating ourselves and our teams, we can navigate the challenges, build a more secure future for everyone, and stay one step ahead of the bad guys.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

Harlin Lipman helps lead the Information Security and Privacy programs at Chronosphere, the observability platform built for control. Harlin's career has been a mixture of being an external consultant and auditor as well as leading internal security programs for cloud-native companies.