AI-driven cyber attacks top risk for enterprises, says report

A recent report has highlighted that AI-driven cyber attacks pose the greatest emerging cybersecurity risk for enterprises in the third quarter of 2024.

The report, published by Gartner, identifies critical IT vendor reliance and an unstable regulatory and legal landscape as significant emerging risks for organizations.

Zachary Ginsburg, a senior director in Gartner's Risk & Audit Practice, noted that as the US election approaches, discussions around regulatory and trade proposals are prevalent, but organizations struggle to understand the potential risk implications of various scenarios.

“Recent Supreme Court rulings on federal agencies' regulatory authority have added to this uncertainty,” Ginsburg stated.

Additionally, global incidents, such as the CrowdStrike outage in July, have sparked concerns regarding over-reliance on major IT vendors.

“Organizations may not fully grasp the extent of their exposure, as third-party providers, including SaaS vendors, depend on other vendors,” he explained.

Among the top five emerging risks cited, two are related to technology, while two others reflect concerns about political uncertainties surrounding the regulatory landscape and upcoming global elections.

The report indicated that the risk associated with a misaligned organizational talent profile has dropped from fourth place in the previous quarter to fifth in this latest assessment.

“Political and legal developments can have complex risk implications, but events that hinge on specific outcomes, like elections, are ideal for scenario planning,” Ginsburg advised.

He emphasized that if organizational leaders can devise specific, cost-effective actions to address risks during an event, they are likely to mitigate risks effectively and gain executive backing.

“By evaluating not just specific risks but also an organization’s capacity to handle disruptions, risk leaders can decrease exposure to known risks and bolster resilience against unforeseen challenges,” Ginsburg added.