This guest blog was contributed by Doug Ennis, CEO, Waratek
As we turn the corner into 2025, the ground of Java security is poised to shift beneath defenders’ feet even more than we’ve seen over the last few years.
You can’t close your eyes and throw a rock out there right now without hitting someone who’s talking about how much the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) will change the business world. But AI will significantly alter the nature of what it means to work in cybersecurity as well. This is not all doom and gloom; there are positives and negatives associated with advances in any tooling. But, in order to successfully navigate these new waters, it’s important to look ahead at just what these changes will likely be so you can stay ahead of them.
The biggest challenge that comes from the AI wave will not come from sophisticated attackers. They have always posed a significant security risk, and will continue to do so. What we will see is less sophisticated attackers able to become more effective when provided with advanced tools that were previously out of reach. As code gets developed faster, it will become easier for threat hunters to find vulnerabilities and use AI to generate attacks.
This democratization of hacking capabilities is a cause for concern, as it will increase the frequency and complexity of attacks. However, there is reason for optimism: defenders will also have access to enhanced tooling that prioritizes automation and active defense. These tools will be able to identify and correct vulnerabilities more efficiently. The challenge for defenders will lie in effectively deploying and leveraging these tools to stay ahead in the cyber arms race.
In light of the access all parties will have to new AI tools, here are three key predictions to watch for in the year ahead — along with their implications for the broader cybersecurity ecosystem.
Prediction #1: CISOs Gain Prominence in the Boardroom
The Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) role has become a vital part of organizational security, but 2025 will see this position elevated even further. This change goes hand in hand with the growing importance of cybersecurity in any business strategy. Along with AI come heightened legal and insurance requirements, as well as a new set of technological priorities. CISOs are becoming more than just technical leaders; they are evolving into critical business strategists who influence company-wide decisions.
With AI enabling a greater number of attacks, the need for strategic oversight and proactive defense measures has never been greater. Many companies hold CISOs personally accountable for unaddressed vulnerabilities. The more we ask our CISOs to take on the responsibility of system-wide oversight, the more involved they must become at the highest levels of decision-making.
Having a CISO at the board level ensures a proactive stance on security that aligns with the business’s other objectives. For companies in highly regulated industries or those with significant brand exposure, the presence of a CISO in executive discussions can be the difference between preempting a crisis and reacting to one. This shift will also create a greater emphasis on leadership skills and business acumen in security professionals, reshaping the talent pipeline altogether.
Prediction #2: The Rise of the Engineering/Development Security Architect
As the pace of software development accelerates and code is deployed at a more rapid pace, the need for specialized roles which bridge development and security is increasing. Enter the Engineering/Development Security Architect—a hybrid position that marries development expertise with a keen understanding of security. Think of it as a key “shift left” strategy.
These architects will play a pivotal role in ensuring that security is a core component of the software development lifecycle. For a long time, it’s been the job of defenders to follow up the development process and clean up the bugs. But this is inefficient, hinders developers’ speedy schedules, and ultimately bothers both developers and defenders. By embedding security principles directly into the development process, organizations can minimize vulnerabilities without slowing down release cycles. This is a natural evolution, much like the transformation of CIOs from operational leaders to strategic ones over the past two decades.
This trend represents a broader shift toward security democratization. Developers are increasingly being asked to take ownership of security within their code, supported by tools and training from their security counterparts. The Development Security Architect role will be instrumental in facilitating this cultural and operational transformation.
Prediction #3: Java’s Continued Evolution and Growth
Despite being over 30 years old, Java remains a cornerstone of modern software development. With the impending arrival of Java 25 later this year, the language is thriving within a rapidly-changing landscape.
As the year progresses, we will start to see more and more companies prioritizing staying up to date with the latest versions of Java. This will come in response to both the demands of modern application development as well as the need to mitigate risks tied to outdated, unsupported versions.
One major driver is security. As AI accelerates the pace at which attackers identify vulnerabilities, running outdated Java versions is an increasing liability. Organizations are also embracing more frequent updates to match the rapid pace of modern development cycles, ensuring their systems remain agile and compatible with the demands of cloud-native environments.
Another factor is the rising expectation from consumers and stakeholders for faster, feature-rich applications, which newer Java versions are well-equipped to support. The development cycle is constantly getting shorter. Where companies used to push new code a couple of times a year, it’s now closer to a couple of times a month. It’s a continuous cycle: with expedited code releases come increased security vulnerabilities, which sparks the need for more code releases and so on. This cycle creates a need to reduce risk as much as possible, leading to greater defense-in-depth and more frequent updates to quash the last generation’s vulnerabilities.
What This Means for You
This new AI-driven security environment will change the nature of the job as much as it changes the stack. For organizations, the challenge will be to adapt quickly and effectively, embedding security into every layer of their operations. Defenders will have to get in the trenches and sprint to apply patches less, and this will allow them to take on the role of managing their tools in a more active way.
I want to be clear that I’m not suggesting security teams load up with AI tools. Many AI tools and use cases are still being optimized, and a lot of defenders don’t feel comfortable setting an autonomous tool free to make its own changes in their security program untouched by humans. What you should be doing as a defender is getting more granular; building out the internal layers of your defense-in-depth. You need effective operational oversight, employees with diverse expertise and tools with active defense capabilities that you don’t have to constantly monitor.