AI-powered cyberwarfare attacks are now becoming a supercharged cyber weapon and organisations are scrambling to fill in their defence gaps, Armis, the cyber exposure management & security company, warns.

New data from Armis Labs’ third annual global Cyberwarfare report, Warfare Without Borders: AI’s Role in The New Age of Cyberwarfare, shows the threat of AI has increased for organisations and governments worldwide in the past year.

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of IT decision-makers globally express concern about nation-state actors using AI to develop more sophisticated and targeted cyberattacks.

“AI is enabling nation-state actors to stealthily evolve their tactics to commit acts of cyberwarfare at any given moment,” said Nadir Izrael, CTO and co-founder of Armis.

“At the same time, threats are emerging at overwhelming rates from smaller nations and non-state actors leveraging AI to elevate to near-peer cyber threats. It is imperative that cybersecurity leaders shift their programs left of boom, enabling them to stop cyberattacks capable of crippling their operations before there’s any impact to their organisation.”

81% of IT leaders say moving to a proactive cybersecurity posture is a top goal for their organisation in the year ahead but nearly 3 in 5 (58%) organisations admit that they currently only respond to threats as they occur, or after the damage has already been done.

In the UK, nearly half (49%) of organisations have experienced some disruption to their digital projects due to the perceived threat of cyber warfare.

The vast majority (88%) of UK IT decision makers that responded to Armis’ survey said they were concerned about the potential impact of global cyber-attacks from nation-states, a 32% rise from last year.

Further, nearly half of UK IT leaders said they have already experienced a cyber-attack, while two thirds (68%) are reconsidering their suppliers as a result of global socioeconomic conditions.

Compounding these global issues are internal sector struggles like regulatory compliance and a cyber skills gap.

More than half (52%) of IT leaders cited complex regulations as an overwhelming challenge for their team. Further, the rise of AI is contributing to an already stark skills gap, as nearly half (48%) said their teams did not have the skills to use AI cyber tools.

Market consolidation, complex regulatory landscapes and gaps in legacy security tool stacks have challenged organisations’ abilities to stay ahead of threats.

While many wish to implement AI-driven cybersecurity tools in a proactive defence move, half of IT decision-makers surveyed acknowledge their teams lack the necessary expertise to implement and manage the technology.

“Current industry dynamics create an appealing environment for malicious actors to intensify their efforts through automated AI offensive driven technologies,” said Michael Freeman, head of threat intelligence at Armis.

“Organisations that leverage proven AI security solutions will realise a greater impact in their ability to equip their teams with the resources and time they need to anticipate the tactics that could be used against them and harden their environments in response.

“Embracing a more proactive approach to threats has never been more important, and closing that divide between intention and ample preparation is within reach thanks to significant advancements in cyber exposure management.”

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When it comes to global results, 85% of IT decision makers confirm that offensive techniques regularly bypass their security tools.

The report also found a lack of faith among companies toward their government’s defence abilities, with 53% believing that their government can defend its citizens against cyberwarfare, while just a third (33%) strongly agree that their organisation is prepared to handle a cyberwarfare attack and respond to related threats.

Across the globe, IT decision-makers consistently point to three dominant state-sponsored threats: Russia (73%), China (73%), and North Korea (40%).

Concerningly, nearly three quarters (72%) of IT leaders believe that the cyber capabilities of nation-state actors have the potential to trigger a full-scale cyberwar, with devastating consequences for global critical infrastructure.

Three-quarters (75%) believe that cyberwarfare attacks will increasingly target institutions representing free press and independent thought – a sharp rise from last year’s 42%.