Forescout’ s 2025 Threat Roundup Report finds 84 % more cyberattacks using OT protocols
84 % of senior cyberprofessionals fear they could lose their job at any moment
CISO news
Forescout’ s 2025 Threat Roundup Report finds 84 % more cyberattacks using OT protocols
F orescout Technologies has released its 2025 Threat Roundup report, an analysis of the global threat landscape and notable trends cyberdefenders need to know in 2026.
Forescout Research – Vedere Labs reviewed more than 900 million attacks globally between January and December 2025.
Cyberattacks became more globally distributed and increasingly cloud-enabled in 2025.
Threat actors focused more on exploiting rapidly shifting infrastructure, Operational Technology protocols, vulnerable web apps and emerging AI platforms while increasingly targeting critical industries including healthcare, manufacturing, government, energy and financial services. moving laterally across environments. Deeper visibility, enhanced risk assessment and proactive controls are non-negotiables for today’ s defenders.”
“ The 2025 Threat Roundup shows how quickly threat actors are adapting to new technology trends – abusing cloud services and fast-cycling Autonomous Systems and even components in popular AI development stacks like Langflow,” said Barry Mainz, CEO, Forescout.
“ To combat these threats in 2026, organisations must monitor East- West traffic and prioritise threat containment to stop attackers from
“ Threat actors are devoting far more effort to reconnaissance, with discovery activity now accounting for 91 % of post-exploitation actions,” said Daniel dos Santos, Vice President of Research, Forescout.“ This shift gives defenders a larger window to detect compromise before more damaging actions can occur. Holistic visibility and network segmentation across IT, IoT and OT environments are critical to stopping modern attacks.”
84 % of senior cyberprofessionals fear they could lose their job at any moment
ighty-four percent of UK IT and cyberprofessionals fear a serious
E breach or incident could cost them their job at any moment, according to new research from Kocho, a UK-based provider of cybersecurity, identity, cloud transformation and managed services.
Surveying 501 UK CIOs, security analysts and IT professionals, the research highlights the intense pressure facing senior cyberteams, with fear of personal consequences remaining a constant presence in their dayto-day roles.
Almost six-in-ten( 59 %) respondents say their teams suffer from high levels of stress, and 53 % say they struggle to switch off after work. More than a third( 34 %) constantly worry about losing their job because one of their team makes a mistake.
Sixty-four percent have had to deal with a significant breach or data incident, with
20 % experiencing such attacks on multiple occasions. The personal toll this takes is very evident, with 27 % having to spend time away from work because of burnout or anxiety.
Ten percent have either been demoted, passed over for promotion, fired or saw colleagues suffer the same fate, while 14 % found they were held culpable internally for the breach.
The blame, sense of guilt or responsibility caused 17 % of professionals to think again about whether to pursue a career in cyberprotection. One-in-eight( 12 %) experienced a profound sense of isolation.
“ Cyberincidents are often discussed in terms of financial and operational impact, but the human cost is frequently overlooked”, said Hannah Birch, CEO at Kocho.“ The constant fear of a serious incident – and the personal consequences that can follow – creates an environment where anxiety and burnout
are never far away, even when incidents are outside an individual’ s direct control.
“ Organisations need to think about how they support these critically important professionals and help alleviate the burdens technically and psychologically. Many are likely to have gone through very bad experiences, leading to absences from work and prolonged underperformance. Without support, severe depression can be one of the consequences.”
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