The acceleration of artificial intelligence (AI) adoption is reshaping the cybersecurity landscape, enabling adversaries to launch attacks at unprecedented speed and scale. At a media briefing for its annual “Ignite” conference, cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks underscored how automation has shortened the time required to execute ransomware campaigns from hours to minutes.
“In 2022 it took 12 hours to do a ransomware attack,” said Simon Green, president for Asia Pacific and Japan of Palo Alto Networks. “Today, it’s around three hours. We think it’s going to be somewhat close to 15 minutes in 2026.”
Green emphasized that AI is not only making attacks faster but also more sophisticated. He noted that cybercriminals can now build a ransomware campaign in just 25 minutes.
“Most organizations take four to six days on average to detect a breach, which means attackers can complete their objectives before being discovered,” he said.
The company also cited the rapid adoption of generative AI (GenAI) in enterprises, with usage doubling over the past 12 months. While organizations explore the benefits of AI, threat actors are leveraging the same tools to enhance their tactics.
Green further highlighted the increasing collaboration among cybercriminals.
“That is one thing the adversaries are doing better than organizations or even governments, is that they collaborate every single day,” he said. “They share tools, techniques, capabilities, and they use AI, they use cloud, and they use those tools and techniques to get faster and better at attacking organizations.”
Bernadette Nacario, newly appointed country director of Palo Alto Networks in the Philippines, pointed out the talent shortage in the sector, citing a research that only 7% of the local workforce is dedicated to cybersecurity and just 13% are trained professionals.
According to Green, growing AI adoption, expanding attack surfaces, and evolving regulatory frameworks are adding complexity to security operations. Palo Alto Networks also warned of risks from “Shadow AI,” as employees use unapproved AI applications that introduce new vulnerabilities.
To address these challenges, Palo Alto Networks suggests a platform-based security model that integrates defenses across the entire technology stack, supported by its Zero-Trust framework.
“Our threat intelligence team, Unit 42, works with customers and product teams to develop proactive security solutions,” Green said. “The platform approach allows for real-time detection and response, critical in the age of AI.”
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