The cybersecurity landscape is rapidly evolving, with Artificial Intelligence (AI) driving both innovation and risk. While AI enhances security by improving threat detection and response, it also equips cybercriminals with more advanced attack capabilities.
At Delinea Labs, our mission is to identify emerging threats, harness AI-driven security advancements, and empower organizations to fortify their defenses while fostering industry collaboration to stay ahead of adversaries.
Our inaugural Cybersecurity and the AI Threat Landscape Report leverages cutting-edge research and intelligence from Delinea Labs to uncover emerging attack trends, the growing risks associated with machine and non-human identities (NHIs), and the expanding role of AI in amplifying cyber threats. Packed with actionable insights, this report provides organizations with the critical knowledge needed to stay ahead in an increasingly complex threat landscape.
The growing risk of machine identities
One of the key findings of the report was that attacks exploiting NHIs —such as service accounts, APIs, and machine identities—have risen significantly due to weak credential management and misconfigured access controls, providing attackers with new infiltration paths. Delinea’s research reveals that there are currently 46 NHIs for every human identity, underscoring their dominant role in modern IT environments.
Despite their prevalence, NHIs are often overlooked in security strategies. While human identities remain a primary target for cyberattacks, NHIs have become equally critical yet frequently neglected risks. These identities often carry permissions that grant access to sensitive resources. However, their credentials—API keys, certificates, and tokens—do not inherently hold permissions, making it essential to distinguish between an NHI and its authentication method for effective security management.
As organizations increasingly rely on NHIs, such as IoT devices, bots, service accounts, and AI agents, these digital entities are rapidly becoming prime targets for cyberattacks. By the end of 2025, the number of NHIs is expected to exceed 45 billion, significantly expanding the attack surface.
With many of these identities poorly secured or inadequately monitored, attackers will exploit vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access, disrupt operations, and compromise critical infrastructure. This growing reliance on NHIs introduces significant risks that must be addressed as part of future cybersecurity strategies.
The acceleration of cyber threats
The report also identified that cyber threats have escalated at an alarming rate, driven by increasingly sophisticated adversaries leveraging AI, automation, and advanced evasion tactics. Organizations are now facing an evolving digital battlefield where traditional security measures are often insufficient against the speed and scale of modern cyberattacks.
Key trends include the surge in info-stealing malware and data breaches, such as the high-profile attack on Snowflake, where stolen credentials exposed vast amounts of sensitive financial and personal data. Attackers are also increasingly using AI to craft highly convincing phishing emails and deepfake scams, making social engineering attacks more effective.
AI-assisted fraud has also become more frequent and advanced, with AI-generated digital forgeries and deepfakes posing serious threats to identity verification. In 2024 alone, deepfake attempts occurred every five minutes, demonstrating how hyper-realistic AI-generated fraud is reshaping cyber risks.
Ransomware tactics continue to evolve, with industries like healthcare, finance, and manufacturing facing an uptick in targeted attacks. Active Directory remains a major vulnerability, exploited in 9 out of 10 ransomware incidents.
The number of Identity-related common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVE) surged by 39.4% in 2024, rising from 23,686 to 33,025. This sharp increase was driven by the growing complexity of modern technology, advancements in cyberattack techniques, such as zero-day exploits and supply chain attacks, and the rapid integration of AI-powered tools. As a result, the threat landscape is expanding faster than ever, making it increasingly difficult for organizations to keep pace with emerging security risks.
Finally, weaknesses in multi-factor authentication (MFA) have become a key attack vector. Nearly half of all security incidents now involve MFA misconfigurations or tactics like MFA fatigue attacks, where repeated push notifications trick users into approving unauthorized access.
These trends underscore the urgency for organizations to strengthen their cybersecurity defenses, adopt AI-aware security strategies, and proactively address emerging threats.
Securing the future: The path forward
As the threat landscape evolves, organizations must recognize the critical role identity plays in their overall security strategy. As cybercriminals continue to refine their tactics and leverage the power of AI, organizations must act swiftly and decisively to safeguard their infrastructures. By focusing on robust identity management, adopting AI-aware security strategies, and fostering collaboration, businesses can build a future-proof defense against the next wave of cyber threats.
At Delinea, we are committed to empowering organizations with the knowledge and tools needed to stay secure in an ever-evolving digital landscape.
We recommend that organizations take the following steps:
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Strengthen identity security: Implement strict governance around all human and non-human identities by enforcing regular credential rotation, applying least privilege access policies, and minimizing third-party exposure to reduce vulnerabilities.
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Adopt AI-aware security strategies: Leverage AI to detect and mitigate advanced threats, including AI-powered phishing, social engineering, and deepfake fraud. Organizations must invest in AI-driven tools that can proactively respond to these evolving threats.
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Invest in continuous monitoring: Continuous monitoring and real-time threat detection are critical to identifying vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. Regular audits of both human and non-human identities will ensure a more resilient security posture.
- Prioritize Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Ensure MFA is properly configured and enforce policies to prevent MFA fatigue attacks. Incorporating adaptive MFA that evaluates user behavior and risk signals is essential to mitigate evolving attack tactics.