The 3 Biggest Cybersecurity Threats Businesses Face and How to Fight Them

1. Ransomware as a Service 

RaaS used to be the work of a few sophisticated actors. But now it is a robust business, complete with affiliate programs, revenue splits and customer support.

Instead of developing their own infrastructure, code and process, attackers can rely on a third party to do it for them, much like a SaaS product.

“This shift has fundamentally changed the risk equation for enterprises,” says Deepen Desai, chief security officer at Zscaler.

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He adds that RaaS has removed the barrier to entry and injected speed, scale and volatility into the ransomware ecosystem.

“Defenders are no longer facing a single threat actor but a dynamic supply chain of attackers,” he says.

This sophisticated attack strategy requires that IT leaders adopt a zero-trust mindset. This means shifting from perimeter defense to containment; from trust to continuous verification; and from static controls to adaptive, risk-based security models. 

For Frank Dickson, group vice president for security and trust at IDC, defending against RaaS comes down to shoring up five basic areas.

“Focus on your network controls, application controls, identity and permissions, data security, and endpoint security,” he says.

2. AI-Powered Phishing Attacks and Deepfakes

AI has elevated phishing from a crude tactic to a very convincing and scalable attack vector. Threat actors are now using generative AI to craft messages that are tailored to the target, often based on publicly available information or stolen data.

AI phishing messages no longer have typos or generic greetings. They reflect recent real news, industry trends or transactions. They are also carefully crafted in tone and format so that users are more likely to engage.

“Phishing isn’t just email anymore,” Desai explains. “It’s evolving into voice phishing or ‘vishing’, with attackers using AI-generated voice cloning and deepfakes to impersonate executives or IT staff over the phone.”

To defend against these threats, organizations must deploy “AI-powered detection, real-time inspection, and continuous validation of users and devices,” Desai says. “Generative AI must become standard across the security stack, because the adversary is already using it.”

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Deepfake-driven fraud is another growing threat, and the only way to get ahead of it is with a multilayered defense that combines AI-powered detection with strong human awareness.

“First, businesses need to remove implicit trust from their systems,” Desai says. “That means continuously validating identities, devices and context — not just at login, but throughout the session.”

Just as important is preparing the workforce: Employees must know how to verify unexpected requests, especially when they involve credential resets, wire transfers or executive approvals.

“We recommend running deepfake simulation exercises — not just for security teams but across departments to help employees develop instinctual responses to suspicious situations,” Desai says. “We’re not just fighting malware anymore; we’re defending against highly believable synthetic deception.”

3. Supply Chain Vulnerabilities

Supply chain vulnerabilities are the third biggest threat to enterprise security today. “We recommend starting with business-context-based prioritization — flagging third-party tools that interact with sensitive areas like HR, finance, legal or infrastructure,” Desai says.

Once prioritized, use a combination of continuous posture assessments, automated vulnerability scanning and real-time monitoring to evaluate ongoing risk.

Reducing the number of vendors, simplifying supply chains and rigorously vetting partners are key to defending against third-party breaches.

“You can do everything right, but if your third-party vendors get breached, like what happened with the Kaseya, SolarWinds or MOVEit incidents, you can end up compromised as well,” he cautions.

Dickson says supply chain consolidation is a strong first step, as fewer vendors mean fewer potential entry points and a simpler security environment to manage.

DIG DEEPER: Strengthen supply chain resilience with third-party risk management. 

With only a few vendors to consider, teams “can stay up to date more easily because there’s less complexity,” he says.

From there, businesses must commit to thorough vendor assessments. Select a tech partner such as CDW that follows industry best practices, meets ISO compliance standards, and works with teams directly to run regular penetration testing and provide audit results.

This combination of defense tactics gives organizations the best chance of mitigating supply chain risk.

“It’s a lot of hard work, but consolidation, simplification and assessment are the best steps to take,” Dickson says.