Top Cybersecurity Trends Emerging From RSA Conference 2025
The world of cybersecurity is rapidly evolving, and this year's RSA Conference was no exception. With over 45,000 attendees gathered in San Francisco, the industry came together to discuss the latest trends shaping digital asset protection. Among the most significant discussions centered around artificial intelligence (AI), which has emerged as a game-changing force in the sector.
The Three Faces of AI: Protector, Protected, and Predator
AI is playing three distinct roles in an increasingly complex digital landscape. Today's enterprises are on the verge of deploying "agentic AI" systems that work independently - scheduling meetings, analyzing data, writing code, and making decisions with minimal human oversight. However, these AI agents create new security risks as they access sensitive company data and systems.
Organizations now need specialized protection to prevent their AI helpers from being compromised. IBM leads this space with its watsonx platform, delivering comprehensive enterprise compliance and governance tools. Domino Data Lab takes compliance to an even higher level for highly regulated industries, while CrowdStrike brings its identity expertise to the agentic AI world through Falcon Identity Protection.
AI is Indispensable for Security Teams
AI is indispensable for security teams protecting vast digital environments against rapidly evolving threats. Modern security systems can analyze billions of events to spot suspicious patterns, identify unusual behavior, automatically respond to threats, and predict potential attack vectors.
These systems do this at a scale impossible for human analysts. SentinelOne unveiled its Purple AI Athena, introducing agentic AI capabilities that emulate seasoned security analysts' decision-making processes. Palo Alto Networks enhanced its Charlotte AI platform with tools that automate incident triage and initiate policy-driven responses.
Threats to Operational Technology (OT) and Industrial Infrastructure
Most concerning is how threat actors are wielding AI as a weapon. Cybercriminals and nation-states now use AI to generate convincing phishing emails, create deepfakes for elaborate scams, discover vulnerabilities, and customize attacks based on individuals' online behavior.
The most alarming development is how AI democratizes cyberattacks - allowing attackers of all skill levels to launch devastating attacks on industrial systems. Securing these environments requires specialized approaches: A small but growing segment of the cybersecurity industry is dedicated to protecting these environments.