AI-Powered threats push businesses to rethink cyber defenses
AI-driven cyberattacks are increasing the cost and complexity of cybersecurity for businesses of all sizes.
The evolution of malware and digital fraud is driving new cybersecurity strategies against increasingly automated cyber threats.
The financial impact of cyberattacks continues to grow as artificial intelligence fuels more sophisticated, automated and harder-to-detect digital threats. This environment is prompting organizations to strengthen their prevention, detection and response strategies in the face of an increasingly complex risk landscape.
One of the most significant changes is taking place in phishing and social engineering, attack techniques that use fraudulent emails, text messages, phone calls or websites to obtain information from victims. According to the report, artificial intelligence has significantly increased the effectiveness of these attacks.
IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report 2025 found that the average cost of a data breach reached US$4.44 million in 2025, while in the United States the figure climbed to a record US$10.22 million per incident. In practice, these figures illustrate the growing financial impact of cybersecurity on organizations.
Broader attack surface.
Small and medium-sized businesses have also become one of the primary targets for cybercriminals. Approximately 70% of ransomware attacks are directed at this segment, which often has limited resources to implement advanced cybersecurity infrastructure. At the same time, industries such as manufacturing, financial services and healthcare remain particularly attractive targets because of the value of the data they manage and the critical nature of their operations.
From a technical perspective, the attack surface has also expanded. Widely used operating systems such as Windows and Android account for a larger share of cyber incidents because of their extensive user base. This exposure increases when systems are not updated with the latest security patches, leaving known vulnerabilities unaddressed.
Network equipment and servers, including routers, switches and enterprise infrastructure, also remain frequent targets. Once compromised, they can be used to intercept traffic, alter configurations or disrupt service availability. In many cases, these incidents are associated with misconfigurations or outdated firmware.
Overall, the cybersecurity landscape is characterized by increasingly automated, personalized attacks with greater financial impact, reinforcing the need for organizations to strengthen their prevention, detection and response capabilities.
Responding to threats.
Against this backdrop, Gigas, the Spanish multinational specializing in cloud, cybersecurity and business communications services, introduced g-Backup Free, a free initiative designed to help organizations protect physical and virtual servers through cloud-managed backup services.
The solution enables businesses to back up files, applications and entire operating systems using technology from Veeam together with specialized technical support from Gigas. This allows organizations to restore systems to the state prior to an attack, critical failure or human error, reducing downtime and financial losses.
Nacho García Egea, Global CISO of the Gigas Group: “Companies are becoming increasingly aware of cyber risks, yet many continue to operate with limited levels of protection. Expanding access to tools such as managed backup is essential to improving response capabilities and strengthening business continuity.”
The initiative complements other cybersecurity awareness efforts led by Gigas, including an open training platform for organizations and employees.
According to the company, this approach is intended to help organizations identify vulnerabilities, reinforce best practices and progressively improve their levels of protection, with particular attention to the human factor as one of the primary sources of cybersecurity risk.
Protection practices.
As part of these efforts, Gigas specialists recommend six practices to reduce the risk of malware infection:
1) Keep systems up to date by installing operating system and software security patches and updates.
2) Use trusted antivirus and anti-malware solutions to detect and remove threats in real time.
3) Avoid downloading files or applications from unofficial or unknown sources.
4) Exercise caution when opening emails, links or messages from unknown or suspicious senders.
5) Perform regular backups of critical data to facilitate recovery from ransomware attacks.
6) Use strong, unique passwords for every service and enable two-factor authentication whenever possible.
In an environment shaped by increasingly sophisticated and automated digital threats, prevention, timely system updates and regular backups remain among the most effective measures for reducing the impact of cybersecurity incidents.
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