Artificial intelligence isn’t just changing business—it’s changing the way cybercriminals operate.
According to Bitdefender’s 2025 AI Threat Report, 73% of organizations have already faced an AI-powered cyberattack or expect to soon.
Let’s break that down: nearly three-quarters of companies worldwide have been targeted by malware, phishing, or scams supercharged with AI. These aren’t random hacks anymore—they’re personalized, automated, and disturbingly convincing.
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What Makes AI-Powered Attacks So Dangerous
AI gives cybercriminals the ability to:
- Automate precision attacks.
Machine-learning algorithms now write phishing emails, clone voices, and create fake websites that mirror the real thing. - Bypass traditional security filters.
Malware trained on real-world defenses learns how to slip past antivirus, spam filters, and firewalls—sometimes in minutes. - Exploit human trust.
Deepfakes, fake invoices, and AI-written messages can imitate coworkers, vendors, or even family members. These “social engineering” attacks don’t break systems—they break judgment.
Bitdefender found that 60% of businesses admit they aren’t ready to defend against AI-based threats. Many still rely on outdated antivirus tools or manual patching cycles. That’s like locking the front door while the back window’s wide open.
The Hard Truth: Your Defenses Must Learn as Fast as the Attackers
SofTouch Systems has been preaching this for years: you can’t fight automation with guesswork.
To stay protected, your security stack has to include tools that learn—just like the criminals’ do.
Here’s what that means in practice:
AI-Assisted Detection: Bitdefender’s GravityZone monitors for unusual behavior, not just known signatures. It learns your network’s “normal” so it can flag anomalies fast.
1Password with Passkeys: Protects your most common weak spot—credentials—by eliminating password reuse and phishing.
Monitored Backups: STS ensures data is recoverable and encrypted off-site. If ransomware hits, your recovery plan is already running.
Endpoint Protection for Every Device: Whether it’s a laptop, iPhone, or remote desktop, each endpoint is monitored in real-time. Policies are enforced on every device.
Texas Businesses Are Prime Targets
Small and mid-sized businesses in Texas are especially vulnerable.
Why? Because many assume they’re “too small to matter.”
That’s exactly what attackers count on.
In the last year, AI-assisted phishing campaigns have mimicked everything from local banks to county utilities. Once a single password is stolen, attackers pivot across email, accounting, and customer databases within hours.
Our “No-Surprise IT” model focuses on preventing that pivot—catching the threat before it turns into downtime or data loss.
How to Build an AI-Resilient Security Plan
Here’s what STS recommends today:
- Update your defenses monthly. Outdated systems are AI’s playground.
Use MFA + Passkeys everywhere. They’re still your best first line. - Adopt behavior-based protection. Replace signature-based antivirus with machine-learning tools like Bitdefender GravityZone.
- Run quarterly “trust drills.” Simulated phishing and recovery tests keep employees sharp.
- Back up, verify, and test restores. Backups you never test are just wishful thinking.
SofTouch’s Thoughts
AI is rewriting the rules of cybersecurity, but it doesn’t have to be a losing game.
When your protection learns, adapts, and recovers faster than the attack, you win.
That’s why SofTouch Systems bundles Bitdefender (managed services), 1Password, and managed backup into every one of our support tiers.
Our clients don’t wake up to surprises—they wake up secure.
Need to know how exposed your business is to AI threats?
Book a free 15-minute risk checkup — we’ll show you where you stand and what to fix first.