Voice of SecOps Spotlight: AI’s Impact on Financial Services Cybersecurity

Earlier this year, we released the sixth edition of the Deep Instinct Voice of SecOps Report, “Cybersecurity & AI: Promises, Pitfalls – and Prevention Paradise.” This annual report delves into AI’s influence across enterprises, with a specific focus on Security Operations (SecOps) teams. This year, we found security teams were limited by AI knowledge gaps, inconsistent implementation, and mounting operational pressures, all while facing a complex, relentless AI-driven threat landscape.

Drawing on this year’s data, we took a deeper dive into the sector facing the most significant threats – and the highest stakes: financial services. These firms must not only navigate escalating AI-driven cyber threats, but balance strict compliance requirements and the added pressure of safeguarding extremely sensitive, high-value data.

Here’s what our Voice of SecOps data found when spotlighting financial services:

Dark AI Hits the Financial Sector Hardest

AI-driven threats are hitting the financial services industry with explosive force. Nearly half (45%) of financial institutions experienced an AI-powered cyber attack in the past 12 months, which is significantly higher than the 38% reported across other sectors. Among those impacted, the top repercussions were the theft of sensitive or proprietary data (71%), reputational damage (64%), and financial loss (49%).

Additionally, while 43% of all respondents reported a rise in deepfakes over the past year, that number climbs to 55% in financial services. Vishing attacks follow the same pattern – 42% overall versus 55% in finance – highlighting the sector’s status as a prime target in the eyes of cybercriminals.

Finance Leaders Push for Preemptive Prevention

The surge in AI-powered cyber threats has forced financial services firms to rethink their cybersecurity strategies. In fact, 69% of respondents in the finance sector say they feel increased pressure from the Board and C-suite to implement a prevention-first security strategy, rooted in preemptive data security. This figure ranks higher than other sectors, signaling that financial firms’ leadership recognize that reactive defenses are insufficient against growing AI threats.

Adapting to these executive mandates poses a significant challenge for finance teams, as it requires a shift from accepting the “status quo” and embracing a new approach to cybersecurity that prioritizes preventing threats before breach.

AI Burnout Driven by Training and Compliance Gaps

As AI adoption accelerates across financial services, many security teams are feeling the strain due to new risks, mounting compliance demands, and a growing sense of burnout. In 2024, nearly 60% of financial services professionals reported higher stress levels over the past year, driven largely by the surge in AI-powered threats and the pressure to respond at machine speed. One in three SecOps leaders in the sector cited staffing and resource shortages as a key stressor, underscoring how AI-enhanced attacks are pushing overburdened teams to the brink.

Compliance is also compounding the pressure, with 45% of financial services leaders saying AI has made regulatory compliance more complex, compared to just 39% across other industries. Even more concerning, more than half (51%) believe AI regulations are a financial penalty waiting to happen, a sharp contrast to just 37% in other sectors. As AI tools become more integrated, financial firms face mounting urgency to adopt solutions that strengthen security without compromising compliance.

The Answer is Preemptive Data Security

As financial services cyber teams confront rising threat volumes, burnout, and the complexities of AI, preemptive data security becomes a strategic imperative. Based on Gartner’s newly defined preemptive cybersecurity category, this approach stops attacks in real time, easing pressure on overextended teams, minimizing risk exposure, and delivering the proactive defense modern enterprises require.

In a recent conversation with Deep Instinct’s CIO Carl Froggett, he told me:   

"The financial services sector has always been a top target for cyberattacks, but the rapid evolution of AI has tilted the balance further in favor of adversaries. To regain control, SecOps teams must respond with equally advanced AI—integrated across the entire security architecture. While many organizations “bolt on” reactive AI within Security Operations, they’re not addressing the root cause of the problem. The most effective way for financial institutions to proactively defend against AI-driven threats is through Deep Instinct’s unique deep learning approach, purpose-built to prevent threats before they cause disruption."

For more information, download our infographic, “Voice of SecOps 2025 Spotlight: AI’s Impact on Financial Services,” or the full 2025 Voice of SecOps Report by visiting https://www.deepinstinct.com/voice-of-secops-reports.

And if you’re serious about protecting your data instead of detecting and responding post breach, request your free scan today to find threats you didn’t know were lurking in your environment.

Survey Methodology

Sapio Research surveyed 100 senior cybersecurity experts from financial services companies with 1000+ employees in the U.S. The interviews were conducted online in April 2025 using an email invitation and an online survey.

For this specific report, the C-suite is defined as those who hold chief, global, head of department, or director roles, while reports are those who hold a manager, administrator, analyst, team lead, or officer role.