Everyone knows about big cyberattacks like ransomware and phishing. But many other threats are not as well-known. Anyone can be a potential victim, from individuals to big companies, due to the use of everyday technology and human mistakes. 

For example, using weak passwords or forgetting admin accounts can lead to big security breaches.  

This article looks at threats like social engineering, hidden IT practices, smart devices and supply chains. By talking about these threats, we can all stay safer. 

AI-Driven Social Engineering: Deepfakes & Business Email 

Social tricks and AI become tools for cybercriminals. Business Email Compromise (BEC) is a secret fraud involving hackers who impersonate executives or traders.  In 2022–23, Australian companies lost nearly $80 million to BEC scams. 

Artificial intelligence also allows the creation of fake voice recordings and videos, like deepfakes. It is possible to abuse them to trick people into doing what they ought not. Deepfakes will be an even more advanced phishing scam in 2025, according to the Cloud Security Alliance. 

• Business Email Compromise (BEC): Fraudulent emails impersonate trusted contacts, like a CEO or a provider, to fool staff members into transferring funds. 

• AI/Deepfake Scams: Cheap AI technology enables hackers to develop voice or face clones. They can deepfake anyone, including you and me, to call banks or open accounts in our name. In one case, Hong Kong’s financial team was tricked into paying out $25 M after a CEO’s voice was deepfaked.

• Spear-phishing Evolution: Beyond generic spam, criminals now go through social media for personal details and craft highly targeted messages, often with AI that bypasses spam filters. These camouflaged attacks are an emerging cyberthreat because they prey on trust and go largely unnoticed until damage is done. 

Shadow IT & Insider Risks: Internal Blind Spots 

Many companies worry less about the risk in people and processes. Shadow IT, including disapproved apps and cloud services, is a significant risk. 

Other silent threats include weak passwords, lost admin accounts and overly privileged workers. These represent threats that don’t receive much publicity yet are very real. They can affect almost every organization. 

• Shadow IT: Unsanctioned tools (like file-sharing apps or personal emails) offer invisible entry points. Because they bypass official security, they often lack encryption or monitoring. In research findings, 60% of organizations disregard shadow IT in security audits, despite it being a source for approximately half of compromises. 

• Reused/Weak Credentials: Making use of simple passwords like “123456” or reusing them for all sites is highly common. Criminals exploit password reuse with credential-stuffing bots so that they easily access personal and corporate accounts. 

• Inactive/Stale Accounts: Vendor or old employee accounts that never deactivated provide open doors. Hackers roam networks for this type of “zombie” accounts with default settings that weren’t changed or forgotten passwords. 

• Over-Privileged Users: If admins or anyone with rights or excessive access exists, one compromised insider or phishing victim might do significant harm. Access control is a highly underrated yet vital component, making it an emerging security risk. 

IoT & Smart Devices: The Hidden Attack Surface 

The internet of things (IoT) makes any average device a possible threat. So many smart home appliances lack good security. Hence, attackers exploit this vulnerable point. 

Over 98% of IoT traffic isn’t encrypted. This implies that sensitive data is readily obtained by hackers. Smart devices also face significant attack vulnerabilities for more than half of them. 

In 2019, hackers compromised millions of Chromecasts as well as smart TV units. They broadcast illegal videos. It indicates that seemingly harmless devices can end up bringing about significant compromises. 

Supply Chain & Third-Party Risks 

Trusting third parties often opens backdoors. Even extremely secure organizations become vulnerable through supply chains or software dependencies. Hackers often create loopholes in popular network software so they will be in a position to attack thousands of networks when companies make network upgrades. 

Some critical vulnerable points include small contractors, niche SaaS systems, or even open-source software that virtually no one reviews. 

Critical Infrastructure & Legacy Systems 

Some of these most critical threats now concentrate on “non-IT” technology. Industrial control systems employ outdated protocols with no antivirus software protection of any kind. A small piece of malware that would render one entire factory PLC or a dam gate opener inoperable would be a disaster and have massive consequences. 

And even common office and home routers could contain hidden malware that isn’t even detectable. These kinds of threats installed subtly aren’t any different from virus scams. But being less familiar with a predictable pattern, they become emerging cyberthreats that most people don’t even know to worry about. 

Future Risks: AI, Quantum and Beyond 

Tomorrow’s hidden threats keep being generated. Cybercrimes like Quantum computing as well as AI-augmented attacks remain a future threat. Cybercriminals are making use of AI for voice cloning, creating fake videos of pubic figures, and these can be used to manipulate markets, elections, or someone’s reputation. 

AI can now assist attackers to develop phishing emails or malware that cannot even be seen by security experts, who also fall victim to this. Biometric fraud or spoofing also falls under the category of threats. 

As people increasingly turn to face or fingerprint unlocking for more devices, criminals develop ways to trick biometric sensors with fakes or 3D masks. 

Staying Aware and Prepared 

The risk that no one knows or talks about is often the most dangerous. We all assume it will never happen to me. But anyone can fall victim when hidden vulnerabilities become a trend. 

Educate yourself on emerging threats and maintain good cyber hygiene. Create a robust password with a manager, set up multi-factor authentication, and make sure that applications and devices stay up to date. 

Run shadow IT scans and audits regularly for organizations, remove inactive user accounts, and partition networks to isolate IoT devices.  

Remember, cybersecurity is a never-ending cycle. There will be emerging cyberthreats that continue to evolve with time, so stay current with reputable information sources and apply hardcore defensive strategies. We can make every connected home and business a little safer against threats that nobody talks about.