AI reshapes cyber risk, N-able urges resilience shift

N-able has published a new research report with analyst firm The Futurum Group on how artificial intelligence is reshaping cyber risk for small and midsized businesses and mid-market organisations.

Titled Cybersecurity in the Age of AI: Moving from Fragile to Resilient, the report examines how automated tools are changing both defence and attack methods. It also outlines a framework for managing security before, during and after an incident.

The report cites growing concern about AI-enabled deception. Companion research from Futurum referenced in the study found that 62% of mid-market organisations agree AI-driven phishing and deepfake scams are increasing.

The analysis describes a “rapidly escalating” threat environment, linking it to AI-driven automation, industrialised social engineering and increasingly complex IT environments. It argues that reactive, after-the-fact security approaches cannot match the speed and scale of AI-supported attacks.

Mike Adler, N-able's Chief Technology and Product Officer, positioned resilience as a more active discipline than traditional security controls. “AI is accelerating everything: innovation, productivity, and unfortunately, adversarial tradecraft,” Adler said. “What this report makes clear is that resilience is no longer a passive goal. Businesses need modern, unified cybersecurity foundations that help them eliminate vulnerabilities before they're exploited, stop active threats at machine speed, and recover quickly using verified, resilient data.”

Two pressures

The report describes two forces developing in parallel. The first is “accelerated adversary tactics”, with attackers using AI for reconnaissance and to scale social engineering. It also points to a likely shift towards more automated attack chains.

Smaller organisations, it argues, are particularly exposed because they often have limited security staffing and rely on generalist teams. By lowering the barrier to sophisticated activity, AI may widen the gap between well-resourced defenders and organisations with fewer specialist skills.

The second force is growing internal complexity. The report points to wider adoption of AI productivity tools and the spread of interconnected services. It also highlights “shadow AI”, defined as unmanaged AI tools used outside formal controls.

Together, these trends expand the attack surface through new interfaces, external services and tools that security teams may not fully track. The report also warns that traditional monitoring may miss risks as environments become more opaque.

Three pillars

To structure its recommendations, the report proposes a three-pillar approach covering security before, during and after an incident.

The first pillar focuses on reducing exposure before an attack through endpoint hardening, configuration management and attack-surface reduction. It also recommends automation and AI-assisted insight to identify weaknesses earlier.

The second pillar addresses limiting impact during an incident, citing behavioural detection, contextual intelligence and containment at machine speed.

The third pillar focuses on continuity after an incident, emphasising fast, verified recovery. It points to AI-assisted checks on data integrity and automated validation of recovery processes.

The framework reflects a broader shift in cybersecurity towards operational resilience, giving equal weight to prevention, detection and recovery. It also treats service continuity and data restoration as core parts of security planning, not separate activities.

Partner perspective

The report includes commentary from a managed services provider on how AI is affecting day-to-day risk decisions. “AI is a game changer when it comes to accelerating security efficiency and closing gaps like skills shortages, but it's paramount that you approach it with the right mindset,” said Marc Umstead, President, Plus 1 Technology. “At Plus 1 Technology, we've taken AI to heart both as a driver of business resilience, and a cautionary tale. The only way to beat the threat actors at what they're doing, is to stay one step ahead; ignoring AI isn't the answer.”

Futurum also frames the findings as a move away from incident response that begins only after a compromise. It argues that visibility and automation must play a larger role as attacks become faster and more scalable.

“Our research shows a clear and urgent need for businesses to evolve beyond reactive security models. The organizations making progress are adopting AI driven resilience strategies that prioritize visibility, automation, and safe, deterministic execution,” said Fernando Montenegro.

The report is available now and is aimed at organisations reassessing cyber resilience as AI use expands across business functions.