Black Hat 2025 confirmed that agentic AI is transforming both cyber offense and defense—an inflection point analysts from Gartner, Forrester, IDC, ESG Global, Omdia, Futurum Group, IT-Harvest, and Enterprise Management Group are watching closely.
Gartner – AI is moving from hype to daily SOC operations. Expect agentic AI to climb the Hype Cycle, with prompt injection added as an emerging threat.
Forrester – Human oversight remains essential. Zenity’s “AgentFlayer” attack shows automation without governance is risky. New evaluation criteria will likely include prompt security and AI auditability.
IDC – AI-driven threat intelligence compresses the detection-to-action cycle. Budgets for AI TI platforms will likely grow in finance, critical infrastructure, and government.
ESG Global – AI SOCs help close the talent gap by cutting analyst workload. Expect them to be framed as both tech upgrades and retention tools.
Omdia – Traditional vectors (identity, supply chain, hardware) remain high risk. Advises a dual-track investment: AI agility + classic resilience.
Futurum Group – AI will accelerate M&A, with larger players acquiring niche AI security startups for faster feature rollouts.
IT-Harvest – Offensive AI is here; open-source models are in active use by attackers. Calls for urgent AI defense readiness.
Enterprise Management Group – AI adoption elevates governance demands. Boards will expect explainability, compliance, and risk metrics for AI-assisted SOCs.
Consensus:
Market forecasts point to faster AI-driven spend and consolidation.
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