Lenovo Research Finds IT Leaders Struggling Against Ai-Driven Cybercrime

Lenovo has released new research showing that 65 per cent of IT leaders believe their current defences cannot withstand cybercrime powered by Ai. Only 31 per cent of those surveyed expressed confidence in their ability to repel such attacks.

The findings come from Lenovo’s third Work Reborn report, Reinforcing the Modern Workplace, which surveyed 600 IT leaders worldwide, including Australia and New Zealand. The results highlight a widening security gap as businesses grapple with Ai’s dual role in both innovation and cybercrime.

Ai Driving Both Opportunity And Threat

Rakshit Ghura, Vice President and General Manager of Lenovo Digital Workplace Solutions, said Ai has transformed the cybersecurity landscape.

“Ai has changed the balance of power in cybersecurity. To keep up, organisations need intelligence that adapts as fast as the threats. That means fighting Ai with Ai,” Ghura said. “With intelligent, adaptive defences, IT leaders can protect their people, assets, and data while unlocking Ai’s full potential to drive business forward.”

The report outlines how generative Ai has enhanced cybercriminal tactics, enabling attacks that mimic legitimate behaviour, mutate to avoid detection, and spread across cloud platforms, endpoints and data repositories.

Risks Identified By IT Leaders

Among the top concerns raised by IT leaders were:

• Ai-powered external threats such as polymorphic malware, phishing campaigns and deepfake impersonation.
  
  
• Insider risks, with 70 per cent citing employee misuse of Ai as a significant concern.
  
  
• New threats from Ai agents, which more than 60 per cent said they were not prepared to manage.
  
  
• Protection of Ai systems themselves, including training data and prompts that have become high-value targets.

Lenovo argued that conventional tools are no longer sufficient, advocating for Ai-native defences that adapt in real time. Analysts have echoed the urgency, with Gartner predicting that by 2027, 90 per cent of successful Ai adoption in cybersecurity will focus on task automation rather than role replacement.

Extending Security To Devices

Lenovo is embedding Ai into its own product portfolio. The company said its Ai PCs are designed as self-defending endpoints, linking with its wider cyber resilience platform to provide consistent protection across the workplace.

The firm’s Digital Workplace Solutions, delivered through its Care of One platform, combine endpoint security with services such as ThinkShield and Cyber Resiliency as a Service (CRaaS). Early CRaaS deployments have reported 99.5 per cent threat detection, response times under 30 minutes and cost savings of more than 20 per cent in the first year.

Industry Recognition

At the 2025 Fortress Cybersecurity Awards, Lenovo won in three categories:

• Cybersecurity Leaders, recognising Executive Director and General Manager Nima Baiati for work on Zero Trust Architecture.
  
  
• Supply Chain Assurance, awarded for ThinkShield’s ability to validate device integrity at scale, with Meta cited as a customer.
  
  
• Cloud Security, for its Cyber Resiliency as a Service.

Lenovo also noted that its ThinkSystem x86 servers were ranked number one in uptime for the 11th year in a row by ITIC’s 2024 Global Server Hardware and OS Reliability Report.

Security As A Growth Driver

The report argues that securing Ai-enabled workplaces should not only be seen as protection but also as a way to improve productivity, reduce costs and accelerate digital adoption.

Ghura said enterprises that build trust in Ai security foundations are better positioned for growth.

“With Ai tools proliferating beyond IT’s visibility and attackers exploiting gaps traditional systems can’t recognise, Lenovo is delivering the Ai-powered defences enterprises need to close the gap, turning risk into resilience and enabling workplaces that are protected, productive, and future-ready,” he said.

Last Updated on September 19, 2025 by Nick Ross