90% of firms are unprepared for cyber threats, Accenture reports
DUBLIN, IRELAND — According to the State of Cybersecurity Resilience 2025 report by Accenture, 90% of organizations lack the maturity to protect themselves against the latest threats due to the fast-growing use of generative AI.
With increasingly aggressive attacks fueled by AI, only 10% of firms have adopted a so-called Reinvention-Ready Zone, in which security becomes the enabler of innovation and trust.
AI security gap leaves most organizations exposed
More than half of the legacy systems are failing, and only 13% of organizations have superior capabilities to absorb such risks.
Most companies are lagging behind in implementing the necessary data and AI security measures, and only a fifth of them are confident in securing their generative AI models.
According to Accenture, proactive actions are necessary to prevent organizations from being disrupted, incurring losses, and losing customer trust. The report emphasizes that AI security needs to move beyond a footnote to become a boardroom concern.
Reinvention-Ready Zone offers a path to resilience
Only 10% of companies have reached the Reinvention-Ready Zone, where robust security strategies and capabilities converge. These leaders are 69% less likely to suffer AI-powered cyberattacks and achieve a 1.6 times higher return on investment (ROI) on AI investments.
Accenture identifies the importance of four measures:
- Develop a fit-for-purpose security governance framework
- Design digital cores to be generative AI secure from the outset
- Maintain resilient AI systems with proactive threat management
- Reinvent cybersecurity with generative AI to scale defenses and detect threats earlier
Strategic security investments yield faster threat detection with 14% improvement and reduce technical debt by 1.7 times.
Talent shortages and geopolitical risks amplify vulnerabilities
A debilitating cybersecurity talent shortage is further exacerbating the crisis, with 83% of executives claiming that workforce shortages are among the impediments; meanwhile, geopolitical pressure and changes in supply chains provide additional vectors of attack.
Quarter three of 2024 saw a 75% decrease in cyberattacks compared to the same period the previous year, with ransomware, deepfake fraud, and supply chain exploits leading the charge.
AI worms, such as Morris II, which hijack models to steal data, and AI voice scams targeting high-profile figures underscore the urgency.
Yet, only 17.5% of firms effectively leverage threat intelligence. Accenture urges organizations to adopt AI-driven automation, with generative AI amplifying 71% of security tasks, to bridge the talent gap and counter evolving threats.
