Cybersecurity challenges and trends spotlighted at RSA – News

Cybersecurity has become the defining battleground of the digital era — and the war is escalating.

As enterprises race to adopt artificial intelligence, they’re also exposing cracks in their cyber defenses, from vulnerable software supply chains to weak data safeguards and sprawling tool stacks. The threat landscape isn’t just expanding — it’s evolving in real time, with generative AI now fueling attacks that move faster and hit harder than ever before.

A recent Boston Consulting Group survey found that while many organizations have adopted cybersecurity best practices, major blind spots remain — particularly in securing data, applications and complex infrastructure environments. AI is intensifying the spotlight on cybersecurity’s role in business strategy. No longer just a technical concern, cybersecurity now sits at the heart of organizational resilience — a reality that will take center stage at the RSAC 2025 Conference in San Francisco.

“As digital transformation redefines the business landscape, cybersecurity is becoming increasingly complex and urgent,” said John Furrier, executive analyst at theCUBE Research, in a recent analysis. “No longer confined to information technology departments, cybersecurity has emerged as a cornerstone of business strategy and national security.”

TheCUBE, News Media’s livestreaming studio, will be in San Francisco for coverage of the RSAC 2025 Conference, from April 28–May 1. TheCUBE’s coverage will include interviews with key industry executives and analysts who will explore the latest advancements in cloud security, how companies are dealing with cyber threats and the intersection of AI and security. (* Disclosure below.)

Check out what’s in store for theCUBE’s coverage of the RSAC 2025 Conference:

AI offers dual-edged sword for cybersecurity

The role of AI in cybersecurity will be a prime topic of discussion at this year’s event. Cybersecurity experts are seeing a dual-edged sword with AI, where it is being used to dissect complex malware and automate threat detection, while also being employed by malicious actors for sophisticated social engineering attacks.

A report released in March by the cloud security company Zscaler Inc. documented 3,000% year-on-year growth in enterprise AI and machine learning and detailed real-world threat scenarios from fake AI platforms and AI-fueled phishing attacks. While ChatGPT was the most popular AI tool with 47% share of global usage, it was also the most blocked as organizations continue to be concerned about exposing sensitive data and unsanctioned use.

The agenda for RSAC this month is filled with sessions covering AI governance, API complexity created by generative AI and commonly seen AI hacks. Cybersecurity will have a significant influence in AI’s deployment and use as adoption of the technology continues throughout the enterprise.

“AI and automation have completely changed the cybersecurity threat landscape,” said Dave Vellante, co-founder and chief analyst at theCUBE Research. “Previously, the technology used to battle adversaries could stop the vast majority of threats, leaving humans to battle the remaining issues. Gen AI has allowed attackers to scale at unprecedented levels, overwhelming humans’ ability to keep up. As such, the only way to fight AI is with AI and automation.”

Supply chain and tool sprawl concerns

The growth of AI in the enterprise has also led to increased concerns around supply chain vulnerabilities. The “2025 Software Supply Chain State of the Union” report, released by JFrog Ltd., noted a 6.5-times increase in malicious models being loaded into widely used AI repositories. The JFrog Research Team found over 25,000 exposed secrets or tokens in public registries. Continued vulnerability of AI models will place additional pressure on enterprises to vet suppliers and have contingency plans for supply chain disruptions.

Whether firms will turn to a seemingly endless supply of tools to address supply chain and other security issues will be a key point of discussion at RSAC. As organizations continue to increase spending on cybersecurity, the number of providers is going up. A survey by Aptiviti Inc.’s Enterprise Technology Research arm found that 51% of respondents expected to grow the number of security stack vendors over the next year, while only 9% expected that number to drop.

“The big question is what’s the right architecture from a tooling perspective,” Vellante said. “Will practitioners continue to expand their tooling with best of breed solutions, or will they be able to consolidate the number of tools in their stack? We know from our research that ‘tools creep’ continues, albeit at a slower pace and we’ll be watching for signs of consolidation at this year’s RSAC.”

TheCUBE event livestream

Don’t miss theCUBE’s coverage of the RSAC 2025 Conference, from April 28–May 1. Plus, you can watch theCUBE’s event coverage on-demand after the live event.

How to watch theCUBE interviews

We offer you various ways to watch theCUBE’s coverage of the RSAC 2025 Conference, including theCUBE’s dedicated website and YouTube channel. You can also get all the coverage from this year’s events on  News.

TheCUBE Insights podcast

News also has podcasts available of archived interview sessions, available on iTunes, Stitcher and Spotify, which you can enjoy while on the go.

News also has analyst deep dives in our Breaking Analysis podcast, available on iTunes, Stitcher and Spotify.

Guests

During the RSAC 2025 Conference, theCUBE analysts will talk with leading voices in enterprise tech. From data platform experts to top software engineers and analysts, we’re diving into the latest in cloud security, emerging cyber threats and the evolving role of AI in safeguarding the digital enterprise.

(* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for the RSAC 2025 Conference. The sponsors of theCUBE’s event coverage do not have editorial control over content on theCUBE or News.)

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