Staying ahead in a fast-changing cyber world

Cyber resilience is now a strategic imperative. As digital networks stretch across borders and industries, resilience is becoming the currency of trust. Resilience is not only seen as a defensive posture, but as a foundational principle of trust, transparency, and adaptability.

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The new threat landscape: Complexity, speed, and coordination

The cyber threat environment has evolved into a dynamic, multi-dimensional challenge. Powered by generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and coordinated across global networks, attackers are moving faster, smarter, and more precisely than ever. Phishing emails now read like personal messages. Deepfakes mimic trusted voices. Vulnerabilities are exploited before they’re even discovered. Threat actors are often part of coordinated, well-resourced networks operating across borders.^disclaimer

The threat landscape is being shaped by AI, digital decentralisation, and supply chain interdependencies, requiring security leaders to embed resilience into transformation efforts.^disclaimer This means integrating threat intelligence, behavioral analytics, and geopolitical modeling into enterprise-wide decision-making.

As Shane Ripley, ANZ Cyber Security Risk Lead, states: “It’s not just about recovery, it’s about readiness. Resilience begins before the breach. It’s about anticipating disruption, not merely reacting to it.”

AI at the core: From automation to anticipation

AI is reshaping both the offensive and defensive dimensions of cybersecurity. While attackers can use AI to scale and personalise threats, defenders can deploy it to help detect anomalies, orchestrate rapid responses, and secure AI models themselves.

For example, the rise of Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) security could present a necessity to protect unstructured data such as text, images, and video used in large language model training.^disclaimer This shift underscores the importance of securing not just networks, but the algorithms and data pipelines that underpin digital services.

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Human-centric security: Turning awareness into action

Despite technological advances, the human element remains a critical vulnerability. Cyber fatigue is real. Endless alerts and simulations can lead to disengagement, even among well-intentioned teams.^disclaimer

To counter this, organisations are encouraged to adopt human-centric security design. This includes simplifying authentication, embedding contextual education, and using behavioral science to encourage secure habits. These approaches align with broader digital transformation trends, where user experience is increasingly seen as a determinant of system effectiveness. When people understand the “why,” they’re more likely to act on the “how”.^disclaimer

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Securing the extended enterprise: Ecosystem risk as core risk

Cyber resilience does not stop at the firewall. As institutions rely more heavily on third-party vendors, cloud providers, and digital supply chains, the boundaries of cyber resilience have expanded. The security posture of partners is now integral to an organisation’s own resilience. As Leigh Mahoney, Head of Wholesale Digital at ANZ explains: “Resilience in digital ecosystems means knowing your dependencies and securing them as if they were your own.”

Machine identities used by devices, services, and AI agents are proliferating rapidly, often unmanaged, and represent a growing attack surface.^disclaimer Securing the extended enterprise means treating ecosystem risk as core risk, with coordinated identity and access strategies that span every connection. Mahoney adds: “Cyber crime transcends technology, it demands a united community response. We need to work together to build resilience across the ecosystem.”

Collaboration as a strategic imperative

Cyber resilience is increasingly collaborative. Governments, regulators, industry leaders, and technology providers are co-developing standards, sharing threat intelligence, and conducting joint simulations to stay ahead of adversaries.

Additionally, this highlights the importance of cross-sector collaboration to build leadership capabilities, prioritise critical assets, and make informed cyber security investment decisions.^disclaimer Institutions that participate potentially gain access to richer insights, faster response capabilities, and broader enforcement support.

Governance in a fragmented world: Strategy meets accountability

Regulatory reform is reshaping the governance landscape. Recent reform efforts indicate expectations around cyber accountability are rising.

This signals a broader shift: cyber governance must now encompass AI ethics, data transparency, and algorithmic accountability. As Maria Milosavljevic, Chief Information Security Officer of ANZ emphasises: “AI is a powerful tool, but it must be governed responsibly. We need to ensure the models we use are secure, explainable, and aligned with ethical standards.”

Trust by design: Ethics as infrastructure

Customers expect transparency around how their data is used, how decisions are made, and how AI is governed. As Milosavljevic advocates: “Trust is no longer a soft value, it’s a hard asset. It’s what enables innovation to scale safely.”

Designing for trust means building systems that are secure, explainable, and ethically aligned. Milosavljevic adds: “Governance is not about oversight, it’s earning trust at every digital touchpoint. That’s where resilience begins.” While AI experimentation continues, organisations are now focusing on measurable outcomes and responsible deployment.^disclaimer Mike Bullock, ANZ Acting Group Executive, Technology & Shared Services, reinforces this view: “Security must be built into the products and services by design. It’s essential to build trust.”

Cybersecurity as ESG: A new dimension of responsibility

Cyber resilience is increasingly viewed through an ESG lens. Investors and regulators are asking how organisations protect stakeholder data, ensure operational continuity, and govern digital risk.^disclaimer

This reflects a broader societal expectation that digital trust is part of corporate responsibility.

Geopolitical risk: Preparing for strategic disruption

Geopolitical tensions are fueling a rise in state sponsored cyberattacks particularly on critical infrastructure sectors like energy, finance, and healthcare.^disclaimer These attacks are designed not just to disrupt, but to destabilise. Geopolitical tensions are amplifying cyber risk. Leaders must factor not only technical failure but strategic disruption as well.^disclaimer

Institutions must now incorporate geopolitical threat modeling into their resilience planning. This includes scenario planning, participation in global cyber exercises, and alignment with international response frameworks. As Shane Ripley highlights: “The goal of cyber exercising is not just technical recovery but strategic continuity.”

Looking ahead: Leadership in resilience

Forward thinking cyber security is a leadership challenge. It requires foresight, adaptability, and a willingness to collaborate across boundaries. Institutions that embed resilience into their digital strategies through governance, ecosystem alignment, and ethical AI will be best positioned to thrive in an increasingly volatile world. Mike Bullock concludes: “Resilience is not about bouncing back. It’s about bouncing forward. Emerging stronger, thinking smarter, and staying more connected than ever before.”

Cyber resilience is a shared journey. It’s about building institutions and societies that can withstand, recover from, and grow stronger after disruption.