Global AI cybersecurity leader Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704) published new research* today revealing that while Australian organisations are embracing artificial intelligence to strengthen their cyber defences, many are increasingly concerned about the technology’s potential to expand their attack surface and introduce new risks.
To learn more about Trend’s latest research, visit: https://www.trendmicro.com/explore/aichangingcyberrisk
Andrew Philp, ANZ Field CISO at Trend Micro: “AI is already transforming how organisations across Australia defend against cyber threats – from faster anomaly detection to automating manual, time-consuming tasks. But as security teams adopt AI, so too do cybercriminals, and as a result, the threat landscape is evolving at speed. Our latest research makes one thing clear: security can’t be added as an afterthought, it must be built into AI systems from the get-go.”
According to the study, over half (62%) of Australian businesses are already using AI-driven tools as part of their cybersecurity strategy, with a further 1 in 5 (19%) actively exploring implementation. Nearly all Australian respondents (93%) are open to using AI in some capacity. Almost half (45%) are already relying on it for essential processes such as automated asset discovery, risk prioritisation and anomaly detection. AI and automation are now considered top priorities for improving cybersecurity over the next 12 months by 38% of surveyed Australian organisations.
This optimism also comes with significant risk. An overwhelming 87% of Australian businesses believe that AI will negatively impact their cyber risk exposure within the next three to five years. Almost half (43%) expect a surge in the scale and complexity of AI-driven attacks, which they say will force them to rethink and reshape existing cybersecurity strategies. Many point to the risk of sensitive data exposure, uncertainty around how data is processed and stored by AI systems, the potential for proprietary data to be exploited by untrusted models, as well as increased compliance pressures and monitoring challenges stemming from a proliferation of new endpoints, APIs and shadow IT.
The tension between opportunity and risk was evident at Trend’s Pwn2Own event in Berlin, where the AI category was introduced for the first time. The results offered a compelling snapshot of where AI security currently stands.
Twelve entries targeted four major AI frameworks, with the NVIDIA Triton Inference Server receiving the most attention. Chroma, Redis, and the NVIDIA Container Toolkit were also successfully exploited, in some cases using just a single bug to achieve full compromise. In total, seven unique zero-day vulnerabilities were uncovered in the AI frameworks. The vendors now have 90 days to patch the flaws before technical details are made public.
As AI becomes more deeply integrated in enterprise IT environments, Trend urges security leaders to proactively evaluate the evolving risk landscape and embed rigorous security practices into every stage of AI adoption.
*Trend Micro commissioned Sapio Research to interview 2250 individuals, including 100 respondents in AU, with responsibility for IT and/or cybersecurity—across multiple verticals, organisation sizes and 21 countries in Europe, North America and APAC. The research was conducted in March 2025.
