forecasts
Every year, Kaspersky experts briefly turn into soothsayers. No, our colleagues don’t reach for crystal balls, tarot cards or horoscopes to see into the cybersecurity future; their predictions are based on an analysis of the global trends and threats we encounter in our daily work.
And they’re often spot-on: for 2024, we predicted a rise in scams tied to play-to-earn (P2E) games, the proliferation of voice deepfakes, and other trends.
Now, let’s look at which cyberthreats and trends we believe will dominate in 2025:
- AI will become an everyday work tool.
- Scammers scamming in relation to new games and movies.
- Subscription scams will flourish.
- Social networks could be banned.
- User rights over personal data will expand.
AI will become an everyday work tool
In 2025, we expect artificial intelligence to solidify its role in our everyday lives. Major platforms like Google and Bing have integrated AI into search results over the past year, and users worldwide are hooked on ChatGPT and its many counterparts. Predicting how exactly AI will develop is tricky, but one thing is certain: what’s popular with regular users is inevitably twice as popular with scammers. Therefore, we urge you to exercise caution when using AI tools — and remind you that throughout 2024, we repeatedly reported on the associated threats.
How hackers can read your chats with ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot
With the popularization of artificial intelligence in 2025, the associated risks will be seen more clearly and frequently. Malicious actors are already adept at exploiting AI, so we should expect even more problems, such as those linked to deepfakes.
Scammers look forward to new games and movies
Fraudsters never miss major releases in the entertainment industry, and 2025 will be no exception. While gamers eagerly anticipate long-awaited titles like Mafia: Old Country, Civilization VII, and Death Stranding 2, attackers are already devising new schemes involving fake preorders and digital keys. We won’t even mention the dangers of downloading games from torrent sites — the risks are abundantly clear.
Movie enthusiasts won’t be overlooked either, as scammers join the rest of us in anticipating sequels and remakes like Superman, Jurassic World Rebirth, Captain America: Brave New World, Return to Silent Hill, and Tron: Ares. Be especially cautious — fraudsters may offer tickets to early screenings, sell fake merchandise, and exploit the love of cinema in every possible way. So get some reliable protection to be entertained securely.
Subscription scams will flourish
In recent years, the world has shifted significantly toward subscription-based models for goods and services, and scammers have capitalized on the trend — just think of the fake Telegram Premium subscription scam we’ve detailed on our blog.
As the number of subscription services continues to grow, some users might be tempted to “buy a subscription at a discount” or even “download the program for free”, playing right into the hands of scammers. Remember: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Download programs and apps only from official sources, and ensure your devices have reliable protection, as malware can even be found in legitimate app stores.
Social networks may be banned
In Australia, access to popular social-media platforms has already been banned for all children under 16 without exception. Ten years ago, such an initiative would have been laughed off: “Just set your age to over 16 and carry on as usual”. But advancements in AI have changed everything. Reliable age verification systems are now being implemented, making it much harder to bypass such restrictions. The future of children’s access to social media, not only in Australia but worldwide, depends largely on the effectiveness of these systems.
If successful, this practice could easily be adopted by other countries, starting with Australia’s closest economic partners. While a complete ban on social media in 2025 seems unlikely, it’s highly probable that similar practices will be introduced elsewhere, leading to restrictions for certain user groups.
User rights over personal data will expand
Good news for anyone concerned about their personal data privacy: in 2025, users will gain greater control over their information! This is thanks to the gradual expansion of rights related to data portability, which may simplify the transfer of data between the platforms processing it.
Privacy policies such as the GDPR (EU) and CRPA (California, USA) are inspiring similar reforms across other U.S. states and in Asia. And let’s not forget the 2024 case where the European Center for Digital Human Rights upheld user rights against Meta, preventing the tech giant from using private personal data to train its AI models. So, we could see a shift in 2025 in the digital world’s balance of power — tilting it more in favor of individual users.
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