Akamai Unveils Defenders' Guide 2025 to Empower Cybersecurity Teams

Rhea-AI Summary

Akamai Technologies (NASDAQ: AKAM) has released the 'Defenders' Guide 2025: Fortify the Future of Your Defense', a comprehensive cybersecurity report designed to help security professionals combat emerging threats. The report introduces new findings on risk scoring, VPN abuse, and advanced malware techniques.

Key highlights include a novel risk scoring model for quantifying organizational vulnerabilities, insights into botnet families like NoaBot and RedTail, and research on VPN vulnerabilities exploited by threat actors. The guide also covers Kubernetes vulnerabilities and cross-site scripting defense strategies.

According to Boaz Gelbord, SVP and Chief Security Officer at Akamai, this research-driven approach helps organizations optimize security investments and reduce costly incident risks. The report differs from conventional threat reports by providing actionable intelligence rather than abstract trends, specifically targeting first-line defenders.

Positive

• First-of-its-kind practical cybersecurity report focused on actionable intelligence
• Introduction of new risk scoring model for quantifying vulnerabilities
• Research-driven approach to optimize security investments and reduce incident costs

Negative

• None.

Insights

Cybersecurity Research Analyst

The release of Akamai's Defenders' Guide 2025 marks a strategic evolution in the company's market positioning and potential revenue growth trajectory. This isn't just another cybersecurity report - it's a calculated move that strengthens Akamai's competitive moat in several ways:

Market Differentiation & Revenue Implications:
By focusing on practical, actionable intelligence rather than abstract trends, Akamai is positioning itself as a thought leader in operational cybersecurity. This approach directly addresses a important gap in the market - the need for practical, implementable security solutions. The emphasis on first-line defenders could translate into increased adoption of Akamai's security products, as practitioners often influence purchasing decisions.

Competitive Advantages:
The report's unique features, including the new risk scoring model and detailed analysis of emerging threats like NoaBot and RedTail, demonstrate Akamai's superior threat intelligence capabilities. This technical depth helps justify premium pricing for Akamai's security services and could accelerate enterprise customer acquisition.

Business Strategy Alignment:
The report's focus on cost reduction through optimized security investments aligns perfectly with current market conditions where organizations are scrutinizing security budgets. By helping CISOs justify security investments and demonstrate ROI, Akamai positions itself as a strategic partner rather than just a vendor.

Long-term Value Creation:
The comprehensive coverage of emerging threats in containerized environments and VPN security indicates Akamai's strong capability in identifying and addressing future security challenges. This forward-looking approach could lead to increased customer retention and expanded service adoption within existing accounts.

New report features novel research and insights to help security professionals outsmart and outmaneuver cybercriminals

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Akamai Technologies (NASDAQ: AKAM), the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business online, today announced the release of the Defenders' Guide 2025: Fortify the Future of Your Defense. This first-of-its-kind State of the Internet (SOTI) report delivers practical research, including new findings on risk scoring, VPN abuse, and advanced malware techniques to help organizations strengthen their cybersecurity posture. For CISOs, it integrates the security-in-depth framework with proactive measures to help form a firm foundation for research-driven cybersecurity strategies.

"This guide stands as a reminder of the importance for CISOs to incorporate research into their overall cyber strategy. Leveraging leading-edge technical analyses of attacks to inform people, process, and technology enables organizations to mitigate risk within an increasingly complex digital landscape. This approach can ultimately reduce costs by optimizing our security investments and reducing the risk of costly incidents," said Boaz Gelbord, Senior Vice President and Chief Security Officer at Akamai. "In essence, a research-driven strategy enables security teams to calibrate their program to the latest developments and build a pragmatic and relevant program to their threat landscape."

The report offers security practitioners insights from cybersecurity experts and data scientists who are working on the front lines to combat threats on a daily basis. The Defenders' Guide takes a different approach than conventional reports, delivering actionable intelligence rather than abstract trends.

"The cybersecurity industry has traditionally published major threat reports to serve CISOs and leaders of cybersecurity — and that's important. What's equally important is an annual report for first-line defenders. The Defenders' Guide is exactly that — and it's the first of its kind in the industry. It gives defenders a comprehensive, centralized resource that consolidates new findings and best practices to stay ahead of emerging threats," said Mitch Mayne, head of Cybersecurity Research at Akamai. "By synthesizing top-tier research, we not only empower cyber defenders with crucial insights, we also enable them to more efficiently allocate their limited time and resources toward the most impactful advancements in the field."

Key highlights from the Defenders' Guide 2025:

Risk management

• A new risk scoring model quantifies organizational vulnerabilities by evaluating application importance, network complexity, and likelihood of compromise. Recommendations include endpoint impact analysis, segmentation strategies, and methods for mitigating both internal and external risks.
• Malware metamorphosis provides insights into botnet families like NoaBot and RedTail by highlighting advanced tactics such as peer-to-peer architectures and fileless malware. The report offers practical steps for mitigating these threats, including patch management and employee training.

Network architecture

• New VPN abuse research reveals vulnerabilities in VPN appliances exploited by advanced threat actors. Solutions include adopting secure LDAP protocols, custom encryption, and firmware updates.
• Cross-site scripting (XSS) research demonstrates the critical need for layered defenses to address vulnerabilities in user input processing.

Host security

• Analysis of six Kubernetes vulnerabilities from 2023–2024 outlines the risks of command injection attacks. The report emphasizes proactive patching and vigilance against emerging threats in containerized environments.

Access the full report 
The Defenders' Guide 2025 is a vital resource for organizations that aim to stay ahead in an increasingly complex digital landscape. To access the in-depth research and strategies, download the full report.

About Akamai 
Akamai is the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business online. Our market-leading security solutions, superior threat intelligence, and global operations team provide defense-in-depth to safeguard enterprise data and applications everywhere. Akamai's full-stack cloud computing solutions deliver performance and affordability on the world's most distributed platform. Global enterprises trust Akamai to provide the industry-leading reliability, scale, and expertise they need to grow their business with confidence. Learn more at akamai.com and akamai.com/blog, or follow Akamai Technologies on X and LinkedIn.

Contacts
Akamai PR
AkamaiPR@akamai.com

Investor relations
IR-InvestorRelations@akamai.com 

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SOURCE Akamai Technologies, Inc.

FAQ

What are the key features of Akamai's (AKAM) Defenders' Guide 2025?

The Defenders' Guide 2025 includes new research on risk scoring, VPN abuse, malware techniques, and Kubernetes vulnerabilities. It provides actionable intelligence for security professionals and practical steps for threat mitigation.

How does Akamai's (AKAM) new risk scoring model work?

The risk scoring model quantifies organizational vulnerabilities by evaluating application importance, network complexity, and likelihood of compromise, including endpoint impact analysis and segmentation strategies.

What malware threats does the Akamai (AKAM) 2025 guide address?

The guide addresses botnet families like NoaBot and RedTail, focusing on advanced tactics such as peer-to-peer architectures and fileless malware, providing practical mitigation steps.

What VPN security issues does Akamai's (AKAM) 2025 report cover?

The report reveals vulnerabilities in VPN appliances exploited by advanced threat actors and provides solutions including secure LDAP protocols, custom encryption, and firmware updates.