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Wipro’s latest Cybersecurity Report 2025 reveals a dramatic shift in how Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) worldwide are adapting to rising cyber threats and tightened budgets. Released by Wipro Limited, the report surveyed over 100 cybersecurity leaders and delivers a sobering yet forward-looking snapshot of global cyber defense trends. Organizations are under financial and digital siege. “Cybersecurity budgets are struggling to keep pace with the growing sophistication of cyber threats,” states the report. As a result, AI adoption has surged to the forefront of cyber defense strategies. The “new new thing” is always appealing.
According to the report, “AI is driving exponential productivity gains, enhancing threat detection, automating repetitive tasks, and remediating security vulnerabilities.”
AI-Driven Automation: The Leading Strategy
As traditional defenses fall short, or perhaps they have never provided what thye claimed, automation powered by AI is becoming essential. Thirty percent of leaders identified AI adoption and automation as a top priority, not just for bolstering security, but also for reducing operational costs.
Additional strategies include:
- Tool rationalization (26%)
- Risk management process optimization (23%)
- Operating model simplification (20%)
This focus aligns with a broader shift in the industry. “CISOs are adopting a more outcome-driven focus by prioritizing risk-adjusted returns on investments,” says Tony Buffomante, SVP & Global Head of Cybersecurity & Risk Services at Wipro.
AI in Threat Detection and Response
The Cybersecurity Report states: “CISOs are leveraging AI to improve threat detection and response times (31%) and to build enhanced incident response capabilities (24%).”
These investments are no longer experimental. They’re central to strategic planning. The report shows AI is now second only to Zero Trust frameworks as a top security investment. In fact, 97% of respondents ranked Zero Trust as their foremost priority.
Nation-State Attacks Escalate
Cyber conflict now mirrors geopolitical tensions. The report indicates that 86% of nation-state attacks focus on espionage, with 42% targeting governments and 32% targeting the private sector. The U.S. remains the most targeted, followed closely by Ukraine.
One alarming trend: “Advanced persistent threats are becoming more sophisticated and better funded, often going undetected for extended periods.”
Attackers are also shifting their focus to critical infrastructure and social media for weaponization. These include disinformation campaigns and influence operations aimed at destabilizing democratic institutions.
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Data Breaches on the Rise
Between 2022 and 2025, data breaches became more frequent and costly. Notably:
- Fifty-six percent of surveyed organizations experienced at least one breach.
- 31% experienced a repeat breach within three years.
- 13% suffered multiple breaches in a single year, up from 8% in 2023.
One key insight: “Subsequent breaches were often unconnected to the initial attack, showing the lasting damage of being targeted.”
PII and Financial Data: Prime Targets
The cybersecurity report categorizes seven types of personally identifiable information (PII) and reveals that 51% of breaches involved advanced PII, including identification numbers and credentials. Financially linked PII accounted for 15% of all incidents.
The industries most impacted were:
- Technology
- Banking and Financial Services
- Healthcare
Attackers increasingly favor sophisticated social engineering and AI-generated phishing attacks, with email phishing cited as the top threat by 65% of organizations.
Boardroom to Baseline: Cyber Becomes Everyone’s Job
There’s growing executive involvement in cybersecurity. The report states: “The percentage of organizations with proactive cyber governance increased from 49% in 2023 to 64% in 2025.”
Notable governance trends:
- 70% of boards have implemented cybersecurity oversight.
- 57% report cyber risks to the board quarterly and 30% monthly.
- 65% of CISOs report to the CIO, though a rising number now report directly to the CEO.
“The cyber arms race is now patent-deep and globally competitive.”
Wipro Cybersecurity Report 2025
Cyber Budgets and Strategic Investments
Budget constraints remain a core challenge. The cybersecurity report shows:
- 61% of organizations allocate less than 10% of their IT budget to security.
- 41% prioritize AI-based automation to stretch their budgets.
- 87% prioritize AI-driven threat detection and response.
Top challenges in AI implementation include:
- Data quality and privacy (96%)
- Integration with existing infrastructure (74%)
Despite these hurdles, 70% view AI as a shared responsibility, with another 17% holding executive leadership accountable for its development.
The Future: Quantum, AI Adoption, and Patent Power Plays
Wipro’s analysis of cyber patent filings reveals that China leads in quantity but with limited global protections. The U.S., however, dominates in global impact, especially with Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC).
Agentic AI and security guardrails are hotbeds for venture capital investment, indicating strong market belief in these emerging technologies. The report notes: “The cyber arms race is now patent-deep and globally competitive.”
A Call for Collaboration and Innovation
The Cybersecurity Report 2025 makes clear that no organization can afford to be passive. The stakes are rising, and only agile, AI-integrated approaches will prevail. “Organizations willing to endure the refiner’s fire for AI safety and security will extract lasting value from AI’s transformative power,” the report concludes.
Related News: Think Your CISO is Ready to Run an Incident Response Plan? Think Again, Says Coalition (Opens in a new browser tab)
