Navigating Data Security Risks in the Age of AI

The 2025 Data Risk Report: Enterprises face significant threats of data loss fueled by AI-driven tools. Implementing a cohesive, AI-powered data security strategy is essential.

As organizations increasingly adopt cloud platforms and AI technologies to speed up digital transformation, the need to safeguard sensitive enterprise data has become more critical than ever. The Zscaler ThreatLabz 2025 Data Risk Report highlights how emerging technologies are increasing vulnerabilities, emphasizing the urgent necessity for a proactive and integrated approach to data protection.

Based on analysis of over 1.2 billion blocked transactions captured by the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange from February to December 2024, the report provides a detailed view of the current data security challenges businesses face. These include growing data leaks caused by generative AI tools, alongside persistent risks from email, SaaS applications, and file-sharing platforms.

Key trends identified in the 2025 Data Risk Report include:

• AI applications are a significant source of data loss: Tools such as ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot were involved in millions of data leakage incidents in 2024, especially exposing sensitive information like social security numbers.
  
  
• Data loss in SaaS environments is escalating: Across more than 3,000 SaaS applications, enterprises experienced over 872 million violations involving data loss.
  
  
• Email continues to be a major channel for data breaches: Nearly 104 million transactions resulted in leaks of billions of sensitive data instances.
  
  
• Data loss via file-sharing services surged: Among the top file-sharing apps, 212 million transactions recorded incidents of data exposure.

Now is a crucial moment for enterprises to reevaluate their data security strategies. The 2025 ThreatLabz Data Risk Report provides an in-depth examination of where data risks originate, their driving factors, and the measures organizations can take to effectively protect their sensitive data within today’s fast-changing, AI-powered digital landscape.