Industry executives and experts share their predictions for 2025. Read them in this 17th annual VMblog.com series exclusive.
By Gary Orenstein, Chief Customer Officer at Bitwarden
Cybersecurity compromises, affecting both organizations and individuals, continue to rise. In response, businesses and consumers are driving change in how they secure their sensitive information. 2024 brought a considerable shift towards better password protection guidance, and 2025 will further accelerate the move away from outdated and insecure credential management practices.
Read on to discover five predictions from Gary Orenstein, Chief Customer Officer of Bitwarden, on the future of passwords and cybersecurity habits in 2025.
More organizations will prioritize simple security habits over outdated, friction-heavy processes and complex tech stacks
New NIST guidelines introduced in 2024 reflect a growing awareness of user behavior and security fatigue. Similarly, recent guidance from CISA on cybersecurity mandates and the White House National Cybersecurity Strategy directs companies toward streamlined, secure approaches. Progressing away from burdensome requirements, such as frequent password resets, reduces the risk of users adopting bad habits like writing passwords down or using simpler passwords under pressure.
Strong momentum for passwordless technology will accelerate
Passkey adoption through FIDO2 WebAuthn continues to grow, with more organizations recognizing passwordless authentication-from passkeys to biometrics and hardware security keys-as a more secure and user-friendly alternative to traditional passwords. The Bitwarden Cybersecurity Pulse survey found that 65% of tech leaders integrated biometric authentication in 2024, reflecting increasing adoption and familiarity with passwordless solutions across industries.
Security tools will become more adaptive and contextual by using behavior, proximity, and permissions to create seamless authentication flows
Advancements in behavior-based and proximity-based technologies, combined with AI-driven threat detection, will enable seamless authentication flows that enhance security while minimizing friction. Expect greater adoption of passwordless solutions, like passkeys and biometrics, along with more granular policy controls that enable organizations to enforce adaptive security measures across devices and environments.
AI-enhanced social engineering scams will continue to dominate the threat landscape
The 2024 Bitwarden Cybersecurity Pulse survey revealed that 89% of tech leaders are concerned about social engineering tactics enhanced by generative AI, highlighting the growing sophistication of these threats. In 2025, while individuals and organizations may adapt to more believable attacks, the rapid evolution of these scams is expected to outpace many existing defense measures. Layered security will remain the best defense – combining passwordless solutions, multifactor authentication (MFA), and ongoing employee education to recognize and mitigate threat actor scams.
Small to midsize businesses and highly regulated industries like healthcare and energy will be most highly targeted
SMBs and highly regulated sectors like healthcare and energy will continue to be prime targets in 2025 due to resource constraints, mixed adoption of security measures, and the high value of the sensitive information they store. These segments and industries often prioritize access over security, creating exploitable vulnerabilities. Remote workers will also remain a critical threat vector as home security environments are generally less robust than enterprise-grade protection measures.
As threat actors continue to evolve their tactics, 2025 will result in new regulations, norms, and strategies for securing passwords and safeguarding data. Both individuals and organizations must prioritize proactive cybersecurity measures to protect against increasingly sophisticated threats and minimize the risks associated with a growing volume of sensitive information online.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gary Orenstein is the chief customer officer at Bitwarden leading the go to market efforts across customer success and marketing. Before Bitwarden, Gary served in executive marketing and product roles at enterprise infrastructure companies Yellowbrick Data and SingleStore, and flash memory pioneer, Fusion-io which went public during his tenure there. Earlier in his career he led marketing at Compellent which after its IPO was acquired by Dell. Gary holds a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and a master’s in business administration from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
