Introduction
While cybersecurity is evolving and securing businesses better, cyber threats are adapting and becoming an increasingly dangerous threat to small- to medium-sized businesses in 2025. With these growing threats, it's important to stay on top of the types of threats there are, and how they might affect SMBs.
What This Means for Your Organization
- With more sophisticated AI capabilities available, cyber threats are becoming more common and harder to fight against.
- Your company's data is more at risk now than any year before due to growing threats such as ransomware and social engineering attacks.
- Defending against cyber threats includes not only understanding the threats themselves, but how you can work against threat actors in 2025.
- Training your employees is crucial to understand and combat cyber threats.
Understanding is half the battle, and while it might seem overwhelming at first, being proactive with learning about these threats is crucial in securing your business.
Overview of Top Cyber Threats
| Cyber Threat | How This Affects SMBs |
|---|---|
| AI-Powered Cyber Attacks | Malicious actors are adjusting their attack methods to work seamlessly with AI. AI makes attacks easier to automate by creating the code behind malware with the use of large language models. In addition, generative AI allows for voice and video creation that can mimic important business employees such as the CEO. This allows attackers to create believable deepfakes, making it easier to fool people into giving up sensitive information and company data. We have all seen eerily believable AI videos and they are improving by the day. |
| Data Breaches | Attackers know that data is a business' most valuable asset. Since SMBs are targeted, they will face the increased chance of a data breach in 2025. According to IBM, over 60% of companies lack AI governance or similar policies that safeguards their data. By having proper policies and guidance in place, data breaches can be reduced. |
| Ransomware | Ransomware has been steadily increasing over the past few years. In 2022 alone, Statista reported that 70% of businesses faced a ransomware attack, a number that has been growing since then. Ransomware is a form of malware and has become one of the most prevalent threats due to the monetary benefit attackers gain from it. Not only do they encrypt and make your data unusable, many attackers have also started leaking the data if the ransom is not paid, adding to more stress for SMBs. |
| Social Engineering Attacks | The most common cyber attacks are social engineering attacks. These include phishing, spear phishing, smishing, and vishing. These types of social engineering attacks are connected by their use of urgency and their hope that the target gives in to their malicious intent. While social engineering is the most common cyber threat, it is also one of the most avoidable (with training). Knowing how to detect social engineering attacks significantly reduces the risks of being affected by one, so always make sure to check who is emailing you and take your time when reading an email or voice message. |
| Network Attacks | Network attacks notably include Distributed Denial of Service attacks, better known as DDoS attacks. The attackers targeting SMBs using DDoS attacks will disrupt the regular traffic of your business network by overloading it with amplified internet traffic using botnets. This disrupts your connection to the network and can cause server outages. While these attacks have always been a commonly used tactic by attackers, this cyber threat has increased by 360% in 2025 according to Cloudflare. |
Understanding the Threat Landscape
Knowing which threats attackers pose is the first step to understanding what you need to secure your business from them. While you might believe your business is secure, there are always measures that can be taken to better protect your business and its employees from these different types of cyber threats.
About Total Assure
Total Assure, a spin-off from IBSS, provides uninterrupted business operations with our dedicated 24/7/365 in-house SOC, robust managed security solutions, and expert consulting services. Total Assure provides cost-efficient, comprehensive, and scalable cybersecurity solutions that leverage 30 years of experience and expertise from IBSS. Total Assure partners with its customers to identify security gaps, develop attainable cybersecurity objectives, and deliver comprehensive cybersecurity solutions that protect their businesses from modern cybersecurity threats.
For more information on how Total Assure can assist your organization, book your 30-minute consultation with a compliance expert today.
