Applications
Bots bite back Cyble flags AI fuelled surge in Ransomware attacks
MUMBAI: When hackers automate, the clock ticks faster for everyone else. That is the stark warning emerging from the Annual Threat Landscape Report 2025 released by Cyble, which charts a year where cybercrime scaled up sharply, powered by artificial intelligence, relentless ransomware operations and a visible spike in geopolitically driven hacktivism.
Drawing on intelligence gathered from underground forums, dark web marketplaces and global threat actor networks, the report paints a picture of adversaries operating with greater speed and precision. Automation and AI-led tooling are no longer fringe tactics; they have become central to how attackers cut down time-to-compromise and amplify impact across sectors and borders.
Ransomware remained the most disruptive force through 2025, with threat groups refining extortion-only playbooks and recycling affiliates across multiple ransomware-as-a-service platforms. Cyble’s researchers noted that organisations perceived as willing to pay were often hit repeatedly, with attackers exploiting stolen credentials, exposed services and zero-day vulnerabilities to gain entry.
Artificial intelligence, meanwhile, has shifted cybercrime into a higher gear. The report documents AI being used to craft convincing phishing lures, automate vulnerability exploitation and conduct large-scale credential harvesting with minimal human input. The result is not just more attacks, but attacks that are harder to spot and faster to execute.
Hacktivism also surged, closely tracking geopolitical flashpoints. Data leaks, service disruptions and destructive campaigns increasingly targeted government bodies, critical infrastructure, transport networks and energy assets, blurring the lines between cybercrime and cyber conflict.
“The 2025 threat landscape shows attackers moving faster, operating more efficiently and exploiting trust across digital ecosystems,” said Cyble senior manager of research and intelligence Daksh Nakra. “Organisations must assume threats will be more adaptive, more automated and more persistent than ever.”
Among the report’s key takeaways, AI-driven automation is now mainstream in cybercrime; ransomware continues to deliver the greatest financial and operational damage, identity abuse and supply-chain compromises are widening; and exploited vulnerabilities enable rapid, large-scale breaches.
In short, as machines learn faster, defenders are being forced to rethink not just how they respond but how quickly they can keep up.
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
