GUEST RESEARCH: Data sprawl drives spike in cyber incidents across AI, cloud, SaaS, and on-premise environments, according to Rubrik Zero Labs Report
New research from Rubrik Zero Labs finds that organizations are facing a wave of cyberattacks, with 90 per cent of IT and security leaders reporting cyberattacks in the past year. The report, “The State of Data Security in 2025: A Distributed Crisis,” reveals the hazards that hybrid environments are creating, leading to a cloud security crisis that organisations are unprepared to address.
“Many organisations that move to the cloud assume their providers will handle security,” said Joe Hladik, Head of Rubrik Zero Labs. “The persistence of ransomware attacks, coupled with the exploitation of hybrid cloud vulnerabilities, shows that threat actors are always one step ahead. Companies must take action and adopt an attacker’s mindset by identifying – and protecting – the most valuable data before it’s too late. The need for a data-centric security strategy that prioritizes visibility, control, and quick recovery has never been more urgent.”
The Frequency and Impact of Cyberattacks Accelerate
Cyberattacks are a constant threat:
- Nearly one fifth of organisations globally experienced more than 25 cyberattacks in 2024 alone, according to IT and security leaders – an average of at least one breach every other week.
- The most common attack vectors cited were data breaches (30 per cent), malware on devices (29 per cent), cloud or SaaS breaches (28 per cent), phishing (28 per cent), and insider threats (28 per cent).
- Consequences of these attacks include:
- 40 per cent of respondents reported increased security costs.
- 37 per cent noted reputational damage and loss of customer confidence.
- 33 per cent experienced a forced leadership change following a cyber incident.
AI, Cloud Adoption and Greater Data Complexity Create New Challenges
Protecting sensitive data across multiple systems has become increasingly nuanced as the widespread adoption of AI has significantly exacerbated the challenge of data sprawl. An overwhelming 90 per cent of IT and security leaders report managing hybrid cloud environments, and half of IT leaders say the majority of their workloads are now cloud-based.
As a result, “The State of Data Security in 2025: A Distributed Crisis” found:
- 35 per cent of respondents cite securing data across these varied ecosystems as their top challenge, followed by a lack of centralised management (30 per cent), and a lack of visibility and control over cloud-based data (29 per cent).
- 36 per cent of sensitive files in the cloud are classified as high risk and are largely composed of Personally Identifiable Information (PII), such as Social Security numbers and phone numbers; followed by digital data and business data, such as intellectual property and source code. (Rubrik telemetry data)
Ransomware and Identity Threats Evolve in Tandem
Ransomware remains a persistent and evolving threat:
- Of the organisations that experienced a successful ransomware attack last year, 86 per cent admitted they paid a ransom to recover their data.
- Nearly three-quarters (74 per cent) said threat actors were able to partially compromise backup and recovery systems, while 35 per cent said their systems were completely compromised.
Identity threats are intensifying, fueled by the complexity of today’s hybrid environments:
- With 92 per cent of organisations using between two and five cloud and SaaS platforms, attackers are exploiting weak points in identity and access management to move laterally and escalate ransomware attacks.
- Insider threats – often driven by compromised credentials – were cited by 28 per cent of IT leaders, underscoring the growing difficulty of maintaining strong access controls across distributed systems.
- Rubrik telemetry reveals that 27 per cent of high-risk sensitive files contain digital data such as API keys, usernames, and account numbers – exactly the kind of information threat actors seek to hijack identities and infiltrate critical systems.
To read the full report, visit https://zerolabs.rubrik.com/. For more information, register for the webinar, Notions Behind the Numbers: Viewpoints on Rubrik Zero Labs Latest Report, taking place May 14, 2025 at 9 a.m. PT.