20:48, 03 January 2026

The More Complex the Attack, the More Adequate the Response: Cyber Defense Levels in Russia Rise Sharply

The nature of cyberattacks is changing, but the skills of cybersecurity specialists are growing at a rapid pace.

In 2025, the nature of cyberattacks in Russia changed noticeably, but the level of protection rose as well. Experts say attacks have become more complex and aggressive, yet businesses and the public sector are increasingly able to fend off threats in time and avoid severe consequences.

Caught Off Guard No More

According to Kirill Mitrofanov, head of the Cyber Threat Intelligence analytics team at Kaspersky Lab, attackers are making more active use of ransomware and combined attack scenarios.

“In some cases, attackers first encrypt data and then wipe it. We are also increasingly seeing campaigns involving several groups at once,” the expert said. At the same time, such tactics no longer catch defenders off guard.

Companies are detecting intrusions faster and limiting damage more effectively. The role of monitoring and automation has grown significantly. Even during complex attacks, infrastructure is increasingly able to remain operational, sharply reducing the risk of critical process outages.

Generative Technologies Against Generative Technologies

Attackers’ toolkits are evolving in parallel. Stanislav Pyzhov, head of the malware analysis group at Solar 4RAYS, part of the Solar Group, said cybercriminals have begun cautiously exploring generative technologies.

“So far this is not widespread, but we have already seen malicious code that may have been created using AI,” he explained.

In response, the market is actively developing behavioral analysis tools and early-stage protection mechanisms. A key outcome of the year has been the growing maturity of defenses. Companies are widely adopting multi-factor authentication, network segmentation, and traffic analysis. Fyodor Dbar, commercial director at Kode Bezopasnosti, noted that businesses are increasingly combining different protection methods to cover multiple attack vectors at once.

Interest is also rising in managed security services. Irina Zinovkina, head of analytical research at Positive Technologies, emphasized:

“Companies are opting for round-the-clock monitoring and response. This makes it possible to stop attacks faster and reduce the burden on internal teams.”

Experts agree that 2025 demonstrated the resilience of the Russian market. Attacks are becoming more sophisticated, but defenses are evolving even faster. Cybersecurity is increasingly becoming an integrated part of business rather than a reactive response to incidents.

Cybersecurity