According to the 2025 Cybersecurity Readiness Index of tech giant Cisco, only 6 percent of organizations in Philippines have achieved the “Mature” level of readiness required to effectively withstand today’s cybersecurity threats.
This is a slight increase from last year’s rankings, in which 1% of organizations in Philippines were designated as Mature.
This demonstrates that despite a slight improvement from last year, cybersecurity preparedness remains low as hyperconnectivity and AI introduce new complexities for security practitioners, the report said.
The study said that the lack of cybersecurity readiness in Philippines is alarming as 75% of respondents anticipate business disruptions from cyber incidents within the next 12 to 24 months.
AI is revolutionizing security and escalating threat levels, with 8 in 10 organizations (85%) facing AI-related security incidents last year, it noted.
However, only 71% of respondents are confident their employees fully understand AI related threats, and 59% believe their teams fully grasp how malicious actors are using AI to execute sophisticated attacks. This awareness gap leaves organizations critically exposed, the report added.
“AI opens up new possibilities but also adds complexity to an already challenging security landscape. Over the past year, we have seen companies worldwide, including those in the Philippines, continue to grapple with evolving threats like the rise of shadow AI, talent shortages, and complex security infrastructures. This underscores the need for a different approach to security— one that not only leverages AI for security but also ensures AI itself is secure and scalable,” said Zaza Soriano-Nicart, managing director of Cisco Philippines.
AI is compounding an already challenging threat landscape, the survey said. In the last year, more than half of organizations (54%) suffered cyberattacks, hindered by complex security frameworks with disparate point solutions.
Looking forward, the report said respondents view external threats like malicious actors and state-affiliated groups (54%) as more significant to their organizations than internal threats (46%), underscoring the urgent need for streamlined defense strategies to thwart external attacks.
“As AI transforms the enterprise, we are dealing with an entirely new class of risks at unprecedented scale — putting even more pressure on our infrastructure and those who defend it,” said Cisco chief product officer Jeetu Patel.
“This year’s report continues to reveal alarming gaps in security readiness and a lack of urgency to address them. Organizations must rethink their strategies now or risk becoming irrelevant in the AI era.”
The index evaluates companies’ readiness across five pillars — Identity Intelligence, Network Resilience, Machine Trustworthiness, Cloud Reinforcement, and AI Fortification — and encompassing 31 solutions and capabilities.
Based on a double-blind survey of 8,000 private sector security and business leaders in 30 global markets, respondents detailed their deployment stages for each solution. Companies were then categorized into four readiness stages: Beginner, Formative, Progressive, and Mature.
