Only three per cent of Canadian organizations are fully prepared to defend against today's cybersecurity threats, according to Cisco's (NASDAQ: CSCO) 2025 Cybersecurity Readiness Index. While this marks a slight improvement from last year (1%), readiness remains alarmingly low as hyperconnectivity and AI continue to add new layers of security complexities.

AI is revolutionizing security and escalating threat levels, with 80 per cent of Canadian organizations facing AI-related incidents in the past year. Among them, the most common were AI-powered phishing scams and social engineering attacks (41%), where GenAI tools are used to craft tailored phishing emails, clone voices and create deepfakes. Others faced attempts to steal or misuse AI models (38%), or had their systems tampered with using bad data to trick AI decision-making (22%).

As pressure to adopt AI mounts, a critical knowledge gap is emerging inside organizations leaving them exposed. Only 41 per cent of Canadian organizations are confident their employees fully understand AI-related threats. Even fewer (26%) feel equipped to conduct comprehensive AI security assessments.

AI is compounding an already challenging threat landscape. In the last year, 37 per cent organizations suffered cyberattacks, hindered by complex security frameworks with disparate point solutions. Looking forward, respondents view external threats like malicious actors and state-affiliated groups (60%) as more significant to their organizations than internal threats (40%), underscoring the urgent need for streamlined defense strategies to thwart external attacks. 

"As AI transforms the enterprise, we are dealing with an entirely new class of risks at unprecedented scale - putting even more pressure on our infrastructure and those who defend it," said Cisco Chief Product Officer Jeetu Patel. "This year's report continues to reveal alarming gaps in security readiness and a lack of urgency to address them. Organizations must rethink their strategies now or risk becoming irrelevant in the AI era."

2025 Cisco Cybersecurity Readiness Index: Cybersecurity Readiness Remains Flat as AI Transforms the Industry

The Index evaluates companies' readiness across five pillars â?? Identity Intelligence, Machine Trustworthiness, Network Resilience, Cloud Reinforcement, and AI Fortification â?? and encompasses 31 solutions and capabilities. Based on a double-blind survey of 8,000 private sector security and business leaders in 30 global markets, respondents detailed their deployment stages for each solution. Companies were then categorized into four readiness stages: Beginner, Formative, Progressive, and Mature.

FindingsThe lack of cybersecurity readiness globally is alarming as 65 per cent of respondents anticipate business disruptions from cyber incidents within the next 12 to 24 months. Further:

"AI has pulled back the curtain on cybersecurity blind spots that many Canadian organizations didn't realize existed," said Robert Barton, Chief Technology Officer, Cisco Canada. "As AI-driven threats evolve, so too must our defenses. It's no longer about keeping pace, it's about setting the pace for security resilience."

To tackle today's cybersecurity challenges, organizations must invest in AI-driven solutions, simplify security infrastructures, and enhance AI threat awareness. Prioritizing AI for threat detection, response, and recovery is essential, as is addressing talent shortages and managing risks from unmanaged devices and shadow AI.

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SOURCE Cisco

SOURCE: Cisco

Media Contact: Samantha Campana, Communications Lead, Cisco Canada,
sacampan@cisco.com

COMTEX_465321442/2197/2025-05-08T09:00:00