September 2025 Headlines
The AI Surge: How Artificial Intelligence Is Reshaping Cybersecurity Careers
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept—it’s a present-day disruptor in cybersecurity. From threat detection to automated response, AI is transforming how cybersecurity professionals work, the skills they need, and the roles they fill. But with opportunity comes uncertainty. As AI tools become more powerful, cybersecurity professionals face a dual challenge: adapting to new technologies while defending against AI-powered threats.
AI’s Real-World Impact on Cybersecurity Professionals
According to the ISC2 report “The Real-World Impact of AI on Cybersecurity Professionals”, 88% of surveyed professionals say AI is already affecting their roles or will do so imminently (ISC2.org). The report highlights several key trends:
Efficiency Gains: 82% believe AI will improve job efficiency, automating routine tasks like log analysis and vulnerability scanning.
Job Evolution: 56% expect AI to make parts of their job obsolete, freeing time for strategic work.
Threat Amplification: 75% are concerned about AI being weaponized for cyberattacks, especially in deepfakes, misinformation, and social engineering.
Policy Gaps: Only 27% of organizations have formal policies on AI’s ethical use, despite growing risks (ISC2.org).
Automation vs. Augmentation: A Shifting Workforce
AI is automating many repetitive cybersecurity tasks, but it’s also creating new roles. The NIST Cybersecurity Insights blog outlines how AI is reshaping the NICE Framework to include competencies like AI security, adversarial defense, and ethical oversight (NIST.gov).
Emerging roles include:
AI Security Specialist: Designs and secures AI-based defense systems.
Cybersecurity Data Scientist: Uses machine learning to detect threats and model risk.
Ethical AI Auditor: Ensures AI systems comply with privacy and fairness standards (Korucuoğlu, 2024) .
Meanwhile, some entry-level roles are being redefined. A BuiltIn report notes that Tier 1 SOC analyst tasks—like alert triage and basic incident response—are increasingly handled by AI, shifting demand toward mid- and senior-level professionals with AI expertise (Wei, 2025).
AI-Powered Threats: A New Battlefield
AI isn’t just helping defenders—it’s empowering attackers. The McKinsey blog warns that AI accelerates cyberattacks, enabling real-time phishing, deepfake impersonation, and adaptive malware6. Cybersecurity professionals must now defend against threats that evolve faster than human response times.
AI-driven threat detection tools, like those described in Analytics Insight, are helping SOCs process thousands of alerts per second, prioritize incidents, and reduce false positives (Kumar, 2025). But these systems require skilled oversight to avoid blind spots and adversarial manipulation.
Conclusion: A Call to Lead
AI is not replacing cybersecurity professionals—it’s redefining them. As ISC2 CEO Clar Rosso puts it, “Cybersecurity professionals have a tremendous opportunity to lead the secure and ethical adoption of AI” (ISC2.org). To stay relevant, cybersecurity professionals must embrace continuous learning. Skills in machine learning, data science, and AI governance are becoming more prevalent. Those who adapt will find themselves at the forefront of a new era in digital defense.
Cracks in the Shield: Windows Defender Firewall Vulnerabilities Raise Enterprise Security Concerns
In September 2025, Microsoft disclosed and patched four elevation-of-privilege vulnerabilities in its Windows Defender Firewall service. While none of these flaws were actively exploited in the wild (yet), their existence underscores a troubling reality: even core security components can become attack vectors if not properly maintained.
The Vulnerabilities: A Technical Breakdown
The flaws—tracked as CVE-2025-53808, CVE-2025-54104, CVE-2025-54109, and CVE-2025-54915—were all rated “Important” in severity and stem from type confusion errors within the Firewall Service (Anupriya, 2025). Type confusion occurs when software misinterprets the type of a resource, leading to memory corruption and unintended behavior. In this case, an attacker with local access and high privileges could exploit these flaws to escalate their access to Local Service-level, a significant step toward full system compromise.
While Local Service access doesn’t equate to full administrative control, it allows attackers to manipulate system resources, install malware, and potentially pivot to other systems within a network (rewterz.com).
Microsoft’s Response
Microsoft addressed these vulnerabilities in its September 2025 Patch Tuesday update, which included fixes for 81 flaws across its ecosystem (gbhackers.com, 2025). The company rated the exploitability of these specific vulnerabilities as “Less Likely” or “Exploitation Unlikely,” citing the high privilege requirements and local access prerequisites.
Nonetheless, Microsoft urged administrators to apply patches immediately and review group memberships that could enable exploitation. The company also recommended enabling event logging and SIEM alerts to detect unusual activity related to the Firewall Service (rewterz.com).
Enterprise Impact: Why This Matters
For enterprise environments, these vulnerabilities pose a significant risk:
Insider Threats: Employees or contractors with local access could exploit these flaws to bypass security controls.
Lateral Movement: Attackers who gain a foothold through phishing or malware could use these vulnerabilities to escalate privileges and move across the network.
Security Software Tampering: Elevated access could allow attackers to disable antivirus, EDR, or firewall rules, leaving systems exposed.
As noted by CyberPress, these vulnerabilities highlight the importance of least-privilege policies, endpoint hardening, and continuous monitoring (Anupriya, 2025).
Recommendations for Security Teams
Organizations should apply the September 2025 patches across all Windows endpoints to mitigate risk. Also consider local user group memberships to minimize exposure and disable unnecessary local access on sensitive systems. Monitor for unusual behavior in the Windows Defender Firewall service.
Deepfake Job Interviews: The New Insider Threat in Cybersecurity
In an era where remote work and AI tools dominate the hiring landscape, a new and insidious threat has emerged: deepfake job applicants. These AI-generated personas are infiltrating organizations through virtual interviews, bypassing traditional identity checks, and posing a serious risk to corporate security.
What Are Deepfake Job Interviews?
Deepfake job interviews involve the use of AI-generated video, voice, or synthetic identities to impersonate real people—or entirely fabricate new ones. These fake candidates use tools to:
Alter their appearance in real-time using face-swapping or video filters.
Clone voices to match stolen identities.
Forge documents like IDs and resumes.
Conduct interviews using AI-generated avatars or pre-recorded responses.
A CNBC investigation revealed that 17% of U.S. hiring managers have encountered deepfake candidates, and by 2028, 1 in 4 job applicants globally may be fake, according to Gartner (Thapa & Son, 2025).
Real-World Cases: From Fraud to Espionage
The threat is not theoretical. In 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice uncovered a scheme where over 300 companies unknowingly hired North Korean operatives using deepfake-enhanced identities. These workers funneled millions in salaries to fund state-backed operations (LMGsecurity.com, 2025).
In another case, a cybersecurity firm hired a remote IT worker who later attempted to install malware and exfiltrate sensitive data. The worker was later revealed to be a deepfake impersonator using a stolen American identity (dice.com, 2025).
Why This Is an Insider Threat
Once inside an organization, a deepfake hire becomes an insider threat with access to:
Internal systems and VPNs
Source code and intellectual property
Customer data and financial records
These actors can plant backdoors, steal credentials, or map networks for future attacks—all while appearing to be legitimate employees (LMGsecurity.com, 2025) .
How to Defend Against Deepfake Hiring Fraud
Cybersecurity leaders and HR teams must work together to secure the hiring process. Key recommendations include:
1. Multi-Layered Identity Verification
Use biometric authentication (e.g., liveness detection).
Require real-time ID checks with motion-based prompts (e.g., “turn your head” or “blink twice”).
2. Behavioral Analysis
Watch for lip-sync mismatches, unnatural blinking, or audio delays.
Record interviews (with consent) for forensic review.
3. Secure Onboarding
Limit initial access to sensitive systems.
Use zero-trust principles and monitor new hires closely.
4. Train HR and IT Teams
Educate staff on spotting deepfakes and synthetic identities.
Implement a cybersecurity insider threat checklist like the one from LMG Security2.
5. Monitor for Anomalies
Use endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools.
Flag unusual login patterns, data access, or file transfers.
Final Thoughts
Deepfake job interviews are not just a hiring problem—they are a cybersecurity crisis. As AI tools become more accessible, the line between real and fake continues to blur. Organizations must evolve their defenses to ensure that the person behind the screen is who they claim to be. The next insider threat may not be a disgruntled employee—it could be a synthetic imposter.
Stefan Myroniuk, MSc., CISSP
(ISC)2 Alberta Chapter | Communications Director
E: communications@isc2chapter-alberta.org
http://isc2chapter-alberta.org
