AI-driven Problems to Be Faster, More Superior, and Harder to Detect by 2026, New Delinea Report Shows

SAN FRANCISCO, April 03, 2025 ( GLOBE NEWSWIRE )– Delinea, a leading provider of options for obtaining human and machine names through centralized approval, today released its annual Security and the AI Threat Landscape report. The statement, based on unique Delinea Labs study and an evaluation of various third-party studies and real-world virtual incidents, reveals crucial insights into the rapidly evolving threat landscape. With AI reshaping both attack and defense approaches, the findings underscore the urgent need for organizations to adjust their security measures to counter AI-driven challenges.

The report uncovers a sharp rise in attacks targeting non-human identities ( NHIs ), such as service accounts, APIs, and machine identities. Delinea’s study reveals that for every human personality, there are now 46 NHIs, a quantity expected to reach 45 billion by 2025. Alarmingly, over 70 % of NHIs are not angled within recommended timelines, with an average cycle of 627 days, far exceeding security best practices. Additionally, 97 % of organizations expose their NHIs to third-party vendors, significantly increasing the risk of unauthorized access.

” One of the biggest challenges identified in the review is the increasing targeting of non-human personalities”, said Jon Kuhn, SVP of Product Management at Delinea. ” For organizations, this switch means they are facing a large and often ignored protection space. With the number of these system identities expected to grow rapidly in the coming years as enterprises continue to rapidly adopt AI, the lack of proper token management and the exposure of these identities to third parties creates major vulnerabilities that cyber attackers can utilize to gain unauthorized access to essential systems and data”.

The rise of ransom

The report also reveals a troubling trend in ransomware attacks, which in 2024 became more complex with the rise of triple bribery tactics. Cybercriminals not only encrypt but also exfiltrate sensitive data, threatening to release it publicly unless a ransom is paid. Five ransomware groups — RansomHub, LockBit, Play, Akira, and Hunters — were responsible for over 36 % of all ransomware incidents monitored by Delinea in 2024, totaling more than 5, 700 attacks. Looking ahead, the report anticipates a surge in AI-driven phishing attacks, with cybercriminals using AI to craft increasingly convincing phishing emails, making it harder to distinguish legitimate communications from malicious ones.

” The rise in ransomware sophistication and the increasing prevalence of AI-driven attacks are undeniable trends in today’s cybersecurity landscape”, said Gal Diskin, Vice President of Threat &amp, Research at Delinea. ” Our research reveals that cybercriminals are increasingly using AI and powerful Ransomware-as-a-Service ( RaaS ) tools to launch more targeted and scalable attacks, particularly around phishing and machine identities. To stay ahead, organizations must adapt their security strategies, focusing not just on advanced threat detection, but also foundational security controls and strengthening multi-factor authentication ( MFA ) to combat the growing threat of credential phishing”.