As artificial intelligence (AI) transforms global industries, only one in ten organizations worldwide are adequately prepared to defend against AI-powered cyberattacks, according to Accenture’s latest State of Cybersecurity Resilience 2025 report.
The study, based on a survey of 2,286 cybersecurity and technology executives across 17 countries, found that 90% of organizations remain unprepared to secure their AI-driven future.
Nearly two-thirds (63%) fall within what Accenture calls the “Exposed Zone” — companies lacking both a cohesive cybersecurity strategy and the technical capabilities to counter rapidly evolving AI-augmented threats.
“Rising geopolitical tensions, economic volatility and increasingly complex operational environments, coupled with AI-augmented attacks, are leaving organizations more vulnerable,” said Paolo Dal Cin, global lead of Accenture Security. “Cybersecurity can no longer be an afterthought — it must be embedded by design into every AI-driven initiative.”
The report warns that the pace of AI adoption has far outstripped enterprise defenses, with 77% of organizations lacking essential data and AI security practices to protect business models, cloud systems and data pipelines.
Only 22% have clear governance or training policies for generative AI, while just a quarter fully utilize encryption and access controls to secure sensitive data.
Daniel Kendzior, Accenture’s Global Data and AI Security lead, noted that the rise of generative AI “brings unique challenges and opportunities” that require continuous system monitoring and secure design from the ground up.
Across regions, cybersecurity maturity remains low: only 14% of North American firms and 11% of European firms have achieved advanced resilience, while 71% of Asia-Pacific companies remain in the “Exposed Zone,” facing heightened operational and financial risks.
Accenture identifies three readiness levels:
- Reinvention Ready Zone (10%) – firms with adaptive, resilient postures that evolve with emerging threats.
- Progressing Zone (27%) – firms showing strength but lacking clear strategic direction.
- Exposed Zone (63%) – firms with reactive, fragmented defenses.
Reinvention Ready companies are 69% less likely to experience advanced attacks, 1.5 times more effective at blocking them, and see a 15% increase in customer trust, demonstrating how strong cybersecurity fuels business growth.
The report outlines four key actions to achieve AI-era resilience:
- Build a fit-for-purpose governance model aligned with AI realities and regulations.
- Embed security in AI systems from the outset of development and deployment.
- Maintain resilient AI foundations through proactive detection and response.
- Leverage generative AI for cybersecurity, automating defense and threat detection.
Accenture said the findings highlight the urgent need for organizations to reinvent their cybersecurity strategies as AI becomes central to business operations.
