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Artificial intelligence and geopolitical unrest are driving a surge in nation-state threats to Australian organisations.
Australia is increasingly drawing the attention of nation-state threat actors, according to a new report from cyber security firm Armis.
Armis polled more than 1,800 IT decision-makers from companies in the US, UK, Italy, France, Australia, and Germany for its 2025 Armis Cyberwarfare Report and found that 56 per cent of Australian respondents – more than 10 per cent above the global average – have already been the victim of state-backed cyber activity.
Many believe the current situation is only going to get worse, with 79 per cent of Australian leaders polled believing the current state of geopolitics is to blame.
Artificial intelligence is seen as one of the key drivers of nation-state attacks. Seventy-one per cent of respondents feel that generative AI is acting as a force multiplier and enabling smaller nations to act at a near-peer level. Similarly, 74 per cent of Australian businesses believe AI-powered threats are a rising issue.
“AI is enabling nation-state actors to stealthily evolve their tactics to commit acts of cyber warfare at any given moment,” Nadir Izrael, CTO and co-founder of Armis, said in a statement.
“At the same time, threats are emerging at overwhelming rates from smaller nations and non-state actors leveraging AI to elevate to near-peer cyber threats. It is imperative that cyber security leaders shift their programs left of boom, enabling them to stop cyber attacks capable of crippling their operations before there’s any impact to their organisation.”
Seventy-two per cent of respondents said they were investing in their cyber security strategies in light of the current state of geopolitics; however, 57 per cent said their organisation lacks the necessary expertise and 56 per cent said they lack the budget to adopt AI-powered cyber security solutions.
“Cyber warfare is top of mind for Australians, with 92 per cent concerned about the impact on their organisation as a whole, more so than any other country surveyed,” Zak Menegazzi, cyber security specialist, ANZ at Armis, said.
“While the data suggests that more are adopting a proactive cyber security posture and harnessing technology, it is important to remember that this is the baseline in the face of the elevated threat landscape at play. With the Federal Elections taking place soon, Australian organisations must adopt holistic security strategies that identify and prioritise risk across the entire digital ecosystem, while strengthening our security teams with AI-powered technology so they are ever-ready to defend.”
You can read the full 2025 Armis Cyberwarfare Report here.
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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