Fortinet has unveiled its 2025 Cyberthreat Predictions Report, highlighting a significant shift in the tactics of cybercriminals that could have profound implications for businesses and the broader economy. The cybersecurity leader anticipates that adversaries will move toward more sophisticated, AI-driven attacks, with the emergence of specialized Cybercrime-as-a-Service (CaaS) groups, cloud-specific vulnerabilities, and the convergence of digital and physical threats.
The report, developed by FortiGuard Labs, stresses the increased precision of attacks, as cybercriminals focus more on the reconnaissance and weaponization phases of the cyber kill chain. With the rise of automated hacking tools available on dark web marketplaces, organizations face an expanding range of threats, including Ransomware-as-a-Service and phishing kits powered by AI.
Cloud environments, once considered safe, are also now prime targets for cybercriminals. Fortinet forecasts that vulnerabilities specific to cloud platforms will become a major focus of attacks in the coming years.
Another alarming trend is the growing overlap between cyber and physical threats. Criminal groups are already integrating real-world threats into their attack playbooks, including physical threats to executives and employees, as well as collaboration with transnational crime syndicates.
The report emphasizes the critical importance of industry-wide collaboration to counter these threats. Fortinet advocates for increased public-private partnerships and global frameworks to enhance collective resilience. As cybercrime evolves, it stresses that cybersecurity must be everyone’s responsibility within an organization, not just IT or security teams.
Rashish Pandey, Fortinet VP of marketing and communications for Asia/ANZ, warned, “These trends reflect how adversaries are pushing boundaries to execute more precise, large-scale attacks. Our predictions underscore the need for organizations to anticipate and adapt to an increasingly dynamic threat landscape.”
Alan Reyes, country manager for Fortinet Philippines, added, “AI’s role in enhancing cybersecurity defenses is more critical than ever. By automating threat detection and response, AI can help organizations stay ahead of evolving threats while strengthening overall security resilience.”
Fortinet’s report underscores that the battle against cybercrime is far from over and urges businesses to proactively defend against these emerging threats to safeguard their assets and operations.
