Global technology giant Microsoft has warned that the global cybersecurity landscape has reached a critical stage, driven by the rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and growing geopolitical tensions.
The company’s Chief Security Advisor for Africa, Kerissa Varma, disclosed this on Thursday during a virtual media roundtable, citing findings from Microsoft’s Digital Defense Report (MDDR) 2025, released in October.
Varma said the report, based on Microsoft’s extensive monitoring network, analyzed more than 100 trillion security signals and screened 5 billion emails daily, providing one of the world’s most comprehensive views of cyber threats.
She explained that the 2025 report highlights a strategic shift in cyber defense, urging organizations to move from reactive protection to proactive and anticipatory resilience.
“Adversaries are targeting data; most attacks are financially motivated, and attackers are increasingly using AI to scale and personalize their operations,” Varma said.
According to the report, data theft remains the leading motivation behind cyberattacks, accounting for 37 per cent of cases, followed by extortion (33 per cent) and destruction or human-operated ransomware (19 per cent).
The most affected industries globally include the public sector, consumer and industrial products, and professional services, the report noted.
Varma said AI is rapidly transforming both offensive and defensive cyber capabilities. On the attack side, the report observed a surge in AI-automated phishing, which increases the likelihood of victims clicking malicious links 4.5 times more than standard phishing attempts.
She added that AI-enabled phishing has also become 50 times more profitable for attackers, fueling its widespread adoption.
“Attackers are now using tactics like email bombing to flood inboxes, hiding security alerts and creating a false sense of urgency,” she said.
However, Varma noted that AI is also revolutionizing cyber defense — improving detection accuracy, accelerating incident response, and identifying security gaps in real time.
She revealed that Microsoft’s integration of AI has enhanced protection across identity systems, cloud workloads, and AI agents, citing a case where a potential global ransomware attack was neutralized in under two minutes.
The report also raised concerns about the risks posed by remote IT workers, warning that companies may unknowingly hire potential attackers.
It recommended pre-hire vetting measures, such as verifying resumes, cross-checking social media profiles, and conducting multiple video interviews to confirm identity. Post-employment monitoring, it said, should focus on spotting unauthorized tools, unusual locations, and camera avoidance during virtual work.
On the geopolitical front, the MDDR 2025 revealed that nation-state actors are expanding their operations — increasingly leveraging AI to target critical infrastructure.
Varma urged global leaders to adopt stronger deterrence strategies, including the public attribution of attacks, the setting of clear “red lines,” and the imposition of diverse consequences for violators.
In Africa, the report documented 150 nation-state cyberattacks, with Egypt and South Africa each accounting for 21 per cent, followed by Ethiopia (13 per cent) and Nigeria (5 per cent).
Varma stressed that cybersecurity is no longer a purely technical matter but a strategic imperative that requires board-level oversight and investment.
“Cybersecurity is a business issue. It must be addressed at the boardroom level,” she said.
She noted that Microsoft’s security ecosystem includes over 34,000 full-time security professionals and more than 15,000 global partners, making it one of the largest in the world.
The company’s security portfolio includes Microsoft Defender, Microsoft Sentinel, and Microsoft Purview, which integrate security, identity, privacy, and compliance into a unified defense framework.
