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January 6, 2022

The Future of Cyber Security: 2022 Predictions by Darktrace

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06
Jan 2022
Discover cyber security predictions for 2022 by Darktrace's experts. Learn how to navigate future cyber threats and enhance your security strategy!

2021 brought some of the most significant cyber-attacks in history – from the Kaseya supply chain ransomware attack to cyber-criminals attempting to poison the water supply in Florida, to the already infamous Log4Shell vulnerability.

Darktrace cyber and AI experts spent the year not only delivering various crucial AI innovations in the defensive cyber security space, but also advising over 6,500 organizations around the world on how to use this AI to fight back against sophisticated attacks in the wild – and win.

So, we asked our experts, what does 2022 have in store for cyber security?

“Software supply chain attacks become a given in 2022.”

Justin Fier, Director of Cyber Intelligence & Analytics

Our security research uncovered that the most attacked industry in 2021 was the information technology (IT) and communications sector, whereas, in 2020, it was the financial services industry. This shift may not be surprising given the high-profile software supply chain attacks on SolarWinds, Kaseya, GitLab, and, most recently, the uncovered vulnerability ‘Log4Shell’ embedded in a widely used software library that left billions of devices exposed.

Attackers see software and developer infrastructure, platforms, and providers as an entry vector into government, corporations, and critical infrastructure. Threat actors will embed malicious software throughout the software supply chain, including proprietary source code, developer repositories, open-source libraries, and more. We will likely see further supply chain attacks against software platforms and further publicized vulnerabilities.

They will also advance their email attacks to more directly hijack the communications chain with supplier account hijacks to send spear phishing emails from genuine, trusted accounts, as we saw in the November 2021 FBI account takeover.

If attackers can embed themselves at the beginning of the development process, organizations will have to detect and stop the attacker after they have gotten through. This threat reinforces the need for security to be integrated earlier in the development process and the importance of quickly containing attacks to prevent business disruption. Since these are multi-stage attacks, organizations can use AI at every step to contain and remediate the threat.

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“Ransomware in 2022: more of the same, but different.”

Marcus Fowler, Director of Strategic Threat

In parallel to the global pandemic, there has been a growing ransomware pandemic. Our researchers discovered that the number of attacks on US organizations tripled in 2021 compared to 2020, and attacks on UK organizations doubled.

This crisis brought 30 nations together to discuss a counter-ransomware initiative focused on cryptocurrency regulation, security resilience, attack disruption, and international cyber diplomacy. Despite these landmark policy efforts, even if government pressures force ransomware groups to disband or criminally charge ransomware gangs, they will continue to rebrand and crop back up with even more sophisticated techniques and capabilities.

If we let ransomware permeate, attackers will likely evolve techniques in 2022 and may target cloud service providers, and backup and archiving providers. There will come a time when this is no longer seen as a cyber inconvenience – when organizations can’t just stand there and take it anymore. Critical infrastructure organizations and businesses alike will continue to assess how quickly they can restore operations in the aftermath of an attack and how long they will be able to rely on cyber insurers to cover ransom payments and costly systems repairs.

If playing defense against ransomware is not sustainable, what is the answer? Eventually, organizations will build systems to withstand cyber-attacks. In the meantime, organizations need security software that learns, makes micro-decisions, and takes proportional responses to detect and stop attacks early enough, before data exfiltration or encryption occurs.

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“Human and AI relationships will improve with explainability.”

Max Heinemeyer, Director of Threat Hunting

Defenders have applied AI to the existential threat of cyber-attacks for nearly a decade now, from detecting threats to using autonomous micro-decision making to respond to attacks at machine speed. The breakthroughs in helping security teams perform at their most optimal state may not be through those advanced mathematical algorithms alone. In 2022, it will likely be through Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI).

The processes and methods that allow human users to comprehend and trust the results and output created by machine learning will be at the forefront in Security Operations Centers. This focus on time to understanding rather than simply time to alert will advance how companies measure security team effectiveness. There will be an increase in focus on XAI in sharp contrast with the concept of a “black box”, as security experts want to understand AI’s expected impacts and potential biases.

Examples of this include using natural language processing (NLP) to explain the hypotheses behind a cyber-attack, the investigation steps performed by AI, the outcomes of those steps, the recommended actions to take – and even how to prevent the attack from happening again.

“The ‘Great Resignation’ will drive an uptick in insider threat.”

Toby Lewis, Head of Threat Analysis

With the ‘Great Resignation’ of employees during the pandemic, we can expect to see disgruntled employees steal information or employees unintentionally taking information with them to their next job. We have also seen criminal groups attempt to recruit insiders by offering a large sum of money or a portion of the ransom.

Whether intentional or unintentional, insiders will become a growing priority for businesses in 2022. With more organizations relying on cloud communication and collaboration applications, these threats become even more difficult to detect across sprawling digital infrastructures. With employees working remotely, enforcing the return of equipment and data will become even more difficult.

Organizations will rely more heavily on security technology that understands employee behavior from multiple angles, including cloud, SaaS, user, and the endpoint. This technology automatically takes action when an employee behaves out of character – by sending emails to outside sources, accessing files they usually wouldn’t, or other anomalous activities. These approaches will work alongside new zero trust technologies and adhere to zero trust architectures to protect organizations from insider threats.

“AI innovations help defenders proactively simulate attacks.”

Nicole Eagan, Chief Strategy Officer, AI Officer

AI has delivered various crucial innovations in the defensive cyber security space for threat detection, investigation, and response. 2022 will see AI innovations expand from a focus on defense to adjacent areas, such as proactive security and attack simulations.

Recent advancements that enable AI to perform attack path modeling, adversary simulation, and continuous red teaming will enable organizations to visualize and test the most probable scenarios of concern and mitigate cyber risks with safety measures and controls. The fundamental priorities of cyber security organizations will change shape as they place more focus on emerging technologies to identify vulnerabilities, launch controlled attacks, and test their defenses.

While this so-called proactive and predictive approach to managing cyber risk hasn’t hit the boardroom just yet, it has the potential to change how companies, regulators, audit committees, and cyber insurance companies assess their future cyber risk.

Thank you to all of our subject matter experts for providing supplementary insights to support these predictions.

Inside the SOC
Darktrace cyber analysts are world-class experts in threat intelligence, threat hunting and incident response, and provide 24/7 SOC support to thousands of Darktrace customers around the globe. Inside the SOC is exclusively authored by these experts, providing analysis of cyber incidents and threat trends, based on real-world experience in the field.
Author
Justin Fier
SVP, Red Team Operations

Justin is one of the US’s leading cyber intelligence experts, and holds the position of SVP, Red Team Operations at Darktrace. His insights on cyber security and artificial intelligence have been widely reported in leading media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, CNN, The Washington Post, and VICELAND. With over 10 years’ experience in cyber defense, Justin has supported various elements in the US intelligence community, holding mission-critical security roles with Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman Mission Systems and Abraxas. Justin is also a highly-skilled technical specialist, and works with Darktrace’s strategic global customers on threat analysis, defensive cyber operations, protecting IoT, and machine learning.

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March 28, 2025

Darktrace Recognized as the Only Visionary in the 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for CPS Protection Platforms

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We are thrilled to announce that Darktrace has been named the only Visionary in the inaugural Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) Protection Platforms. We feel This recognition highlights Darktrace’s AI-driven approach to securing industrial environments, where conventional security solutions struggle to keep pace with increasing cyber threats.

A milestone for CPS security

It's our opinion that the first-ever Gartner Magic Quadrant for CPS Protection Platforms reflects a growing industry shift toward purpose-built security solutions for critical infrastructure. As organizations integrate IT, OT, and cloud-connected systems, the cyber risk landscape continues to expand. Gartner evaluated 17 vendors based on their Ability to Execute and Completeness of Vision, establishing a benchmark for security leaders looking to enhance cyber resilience in industrial environments.

We believe the Gartner recognition of Darktrace as the only Visionary reaffirms the platform’s ability to proactively defend against cyber risks through AI-driven anomaly detection, autonomous response, and risk-based security strategies. With increasingly sophisticated attacks targeting industrial control systems, organizations need a solution that continuously evolves to defend against both known and unknown threats.

AI-driven security for CPS environments

Securing CPS environments requires an approach that adapts to the dynamic nature of industrial operations. Traditional security tools rely on static signatures and predefined rules, leaving gaps in protection against novel and sophisticated threats. Darktrace / OT takes a different approach, leveraging Self-Learning AI to detect and neutralize threats in real time, even in air-gapped or highly regulated environments.

Darktrace / OT continuously analyzes network behaviors to establish a deep understanding of what is “normal” for each industrial environment. This enables it to autonomously identify deviations that signal potential cyber threats, providing early warning and proactive defense before attacks can disrupt operations. Unlike rule-based security models that require constant manual updates, Darktrace / OT improves with the environment, ensuring long-term resilience against emerging cyber risks.

Bridging the IT-OT security gap

A major challenge for organizations protecting CPS environments is the disconnect between IT and OT security. While IT security has traditionally focused on data

protection and compliance, OT security is driven by operational uptime and safety, leading to siloed security programs that leave critical gaps in visibility and response.

Darktrace / OT eliminates these silos by providing unified visibility across IT, OT, and IoT assets, ensuring that security teams have a complete picture of their attack surface. Its AI-driven approach enables cross-domain threat detection, recognizing risks that move laterally between IT and OT environments. By seamlessly integrating with existing security architectures, Darktrace / OT helps organizations close security gaps without disrupting industrial processes.

Proactive OT risk management and resilience

Beyond detection and response, Darktrace / OT strengthens organizations’ ability to manage cyber risk proactively. By mapping vulnerabilities to real-world attack paths, it prioritizes remediation actions based on actual exploitability and business impact, rather than relying on isolated CVE scores. This risk-based approach enables security teams to focus resources where they matter most, reducing overall exposure to cyber threats.

With autonomous threat response capabilities, Darktrace / OT not only identifies risks but also contains them in real time, preventing attackers from escalating intrusions. Whether mitigating ransomware, insider threats, or sophisticated nation-state attacks, Darktrace / OT ensures that industrial environments remain secure, operational, and resilient, no matter how threats evolve.

AI-powered incident response and SOC automation

Security teams are facing an overwhelming volume of alerts, making it difficult to prioritize threats and respond effectively. Darktrace / OT’s Cyber AI Analyst acts as a force multiplier for security teams by automating threat investigation, alert triage, and response actions. By mimicking the workflow of a human SOC analyst, Cyber AI Analyst provides contextual insights that accelerate incident response and reduce the manual workload on security teams.

With 24/7 autonomous monitoring, Darktrace / OT ensures that threats are continuously detected and investigated in real time. Whether facing ransomware, insider threats, or sophisticated nation-state attacks, organizations can rely on AI-driven security to contain threats before they disrupt operations.

Trusted by customers: Darktrace / OT recognized in Gartner Peer Insights

Source: Gartner Peer Insights (Oct 28th)

Beyond our recognition in the Gartner Magic Quadrant, we feel Darktrace / OT is one of the highest-rated CPS security solutions on Gartner Peer Insights, reflecting strong customer trust and validation. With a 4.9/5 overall rating and the highest "Willingness to Recommend" score among CPS vendors, organizations across critical infrastructure and industrial sectors recognize the impact of our AI-driven security approach. Source: Gartner Peer Insights (Oct 28th)

This strong customer endorsement underscores why leading enterprises trust Darktrace / OT to secure their CPS environments today and in the future.

Redefining the future of CPS security

It's our view that Darktrace’s recognition as the only Visionary in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for CPS Protection Platforms validates its leadership in next-generation industrial security. As cyber threats targeting critical infrastructure continue to rise, organizations must adopt AI-driven security solutions that can adapt, respond, and mitigate risks in real time.

We believe this recognition reinforces our commitment to innovation and our mission to secure the world’s most essential systems. This recognition reinforces our commitment to innovation and our mission to secure the world’s most essential systems.

® Download the full Gartner Magic Quadrant for CPS Protection Platforms

® Request a demo to see Darktrace OT in action.

Gartner, Magic Quadrant for CPS Protection Platforms , Katell Thielemann, Wam Voster, Ruggero Contu 12 February 2025

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner and Magic Quadrant and Peer Insights are a registered trademark, of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved. Gartner Peer Insights content consists of the opinions of individual end users based on their own experiences with the vendors listed on the platform, should not be construed as statements of fact, nor do they represent the views of Gartner or its affiliates. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in this content nor makes any warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this content, about its accuracy or completeness, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

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Pallavi Singh
Product Marketing Manager, OT Security & Compliance

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March 28, 2025

Survey Findings: AI Cybersecurity Priorities and Objectives in 2025

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AI is changing the cybersecurity field, both on the offensive and defensive sides. We surveyed over 1,500 cybersecurity professionals from around the world to uncover their attitudes, understanding, and priorities when it comes to AI cybersecurity in 2025. Our full report, unearthing some telling trends, is available now.  

Download the full report to explore these findings in depth

It is clear that security professionals know their field is changing fast, and that AI will continue to influence those changes. Our survey results show that they are aware that the rise of AI will require them to adopt new tools and learn to use them effectively. Still, they aren’t always certain about how to plan for the future, or what to invest in.

The top priorities of security stakeholders for improving their defenses against AI-powered threats include augmenting their existing tool stacks with AI-powered solutions and improving integration among their security tools.

Figure 1: Year-over-year changes to the priorities of securitystakeholders.

Increasing cybersecurity staff

As was also the case last year, security stakeholders are less interested in hiring additional staff than in adding new AI-powered tools onto their existing security stacks, with only with 11% (and only 8% of executives) planning to increase cybersecurity staff in 2025.

This suggests that leaders are looking for new methods to overcome talent resource shortages.

Adding AI-powered security tools to supplement existing solutions

Executives are particularly enthusiastic about adopting AI-driven tools. Within that goal, there is consensus about the qualities cyber professionals are looking for when purchasing new security capabilities or replacing existing products.

  • 87% of survey respondents prefer solutions that are part of a broader platform over individual point products

These results are similar to last year’s, where again, almost nine out of ten agreed that a platform-oriented security solution was more effective at stopping cyber threats than a collection of individual products.

  • 88% of survey respondents agree that the use of AI within the security stack is critical to freeing up time for security teams to become more proactive, compared to reactive

AI itself can contribute to this shift from reactive to proactive security, improving risk prioritization and automating preventative strategies like Attack Surface Management (ASM) and proactive exposure management.

  • 84% of survey respondents prefer defensive AI solutions that do not require the organization’s data to be shared externally

This preference may reflect increasing attention to the data privacy and security risks posed by generative AI (gen AI) adoption. It may also reflect growing awareness of data residency requirements and other restrictions that regulators are imposing.

Improving cybersecurity awareness training for end users

Based on the survey results, practitioners in SecOps are more interested in improving security awareness training.

This goal is not necessarily mutually exclusive from the addition of AI tools. For example, teams can leverage AI to build more effective security awareness training programs, and as gen AI tools are adopted, users will need to be taught about data privacy and associated security risks.

Looking towards the future

One conclusion we can draw from the attitudinal shifts from last year’s survey to this year’s: while hiring more security staff might be a nice-to-have, implementing AI-powered tools so that existing employees can work smarter is increasingly viewed as a must-have.

However, trending goals are not just about managing resources, whether headcount or AI investments, to keep up with workloads. Existing end users must also be trained to follow safe practices while using established and newly adopted tools.

Security professionals, including executives, SecOps, and every role in between, continue to shift their identified challenges and priorities as they gear up for the coming year in the Era of AI.

State of AI report

Download the full report to explore these findings in depth

The full report for Darktrace’s State of AI Cybersecurity is out now. Download the paper to dig deeper into these trends, and see how results differ by industry, region, organization size, and job title.  

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