Top Physical Security Threats in 2025: Emerging Risks & Prevention Strategies

Physical security today requires tools and awareness that extend far beyond what conventional measures like surveillance cameras and access control systems can handle independently. Today, Security professionals must understand how emerging technologies can strengthen and compromise their organizations. 

Security professionals who want to navigate 2025 successfully must adapt their strategies to address both traditional and emerging threats. This article examines the most critical physical security challenges facing security professionals in 2025. 

AI-Powered Security: A Game-Changer or a Growing Threat?

While some experts caution against relying on AI due to the potential for mistakes generated by AI “hallucinations,” the technology is gaining traction as a reliable option for many different security applications—especially those where sifting through and summarizing large amounts of data is necessary. The challenges here will lie in “training” the AI to care about what matters most to your organization. For example, someone trying your front door after hours may not be a high-priority concern, but someone trying to enter your executive suite certainly is. 

Despite these concerns, many anticipate increased adoption of AI-based security solutions. There is a growing demand across industries for more automation, particularly in education, healthcare, and finance. 

Drone Security Risks: How to Detect & Neutralize Threats 

Drones are rapidly transitioning from a niche technology to a widely used technology across sectors. They have many potential security applications, but recent incidents, like the mysterious drone sightings over New Jersey, highlight the growing public concern about their misuse. 

As prices continue dropping, expect drones to be increasingly weaponized for malicious activities in 2025. This surge in drone-related threats will require businesses and law enforcement agencies to develop anti-drone procedures, which might include: 

1. Drone Detection Systems: Implementing advanced radar and sensor technologies to identify and track unauthorized drone activity within a security perimeter. 
2. Drone Countermeasures: Specialized equipment like drone jammers will often be used to disrupt malicious drone operations. 
3. Specialized Training: Equipping security teams with the knowledge to respond effectively to drone threats, including identification, tracking, and mitigation strategies.

Infrastructure Attacks: How to Secure Critical Business Operations 

Sabotage and other targeted attacks on global infrastructure appear to be ramping up. Attackers may target something larger scale, like the undersea network cabling in that article. Still, it is just as likely to be on a smaller scale, where attackers look to disrupt local utilities or even individual businesses. 

Electrical systems, HVAC, network services, and emergency response systems are all prime targets for attackers looking to sew chaos. These attacks are particularly difficult to manage at scale. Countermeasures and deterrence tend to be costly. 

Insider Threats in 2025: How Employees Become Security Risks 

Insider threats have always posed a unique challenge to corporate security, but moving into 2025, the landscape is evolving. Employees driven by personal grievances, political differences, or activist causes are increasingly becoming a complex threat more and more organizations have to deal with. Political lightning rod industries—like technology, finance, pharmaceuticals, and defense—face especially heightened risk from bad actors whose motivations may be tied to political or ideological agendas. 

Early detection and mitigation are the most effective strategies for corporate security teams. Organizations must develop insider threat detection programs that monitor security system data feeds for changes in behavior and repeated unauthorized access attempts.  

Combining human oversight with technology-driven monitoring systems is a more comprehensive approach. Fostering a culture of transparency with clear reporting channels for suspicious behavior will also reduce the chance for insider threats to remain undetected. 

Protecting Executives from Targeted Attacks & Cyber Threats

Recent events in business and politics have highlighted what appears to be an emerging risk of violence against leadership in politically controversial sectors. 

Social media has become a particularly potent tool for malicious actors here. We see it regularly used to disseminate misinformation, support bad actors doxxing (publicly revealing private data) targets, and generally amplifying what used to be fringe calls to violence. 

Security teams must carefully assess each threat to determine its legitimacy and potential impact. This requires a multi-pronged approach, including physical security measures, online monitoring, and clear reporting and response procedures. Together, these will require a more unified approach going forward, which dovetails with our next trend. 

Cyber-Physical Attacks: How Hackers Are Targeting Real-World Assets

The idea has been discussed for years, including on our blog. Cyber and physical threats are often combined into converged, sophisticated attacks that target digital systems and physical assets. We’re already seeing this in the form of evolving ransomware tactics that bring down critical infrastructure. The attackers have found that presenting a physical threat rather than just compromising data increases their leverage. 

Every organization—public and private—must adapt. We expect to see many businesses consider the following: 

Data Privacy Regulations in 2025: Avoiding Heavy Compliance Fines 

In 2025, more organizations will prioritize data privacy as a security concern. The main drivers behind this shift are the increasing cost of data breaches and the ever-growing complexity of data privacy regulations like GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, and NIS2. 

However, not all physical security systems have data privacy in mind. Going forward, when selecting new solutions, IT and physical security teams will carefully consider several factors: 

1. Data Protection by Design: Security teams will look for management systems incorporating encryption, strong access controls, and other features to safeguard sensitive information. 
2. Vendor Certifications: Solutions offered by vendors holding recognized certifications like ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II will have been designed with data security and privacy in mind. 

Corporate Events Under Attack: Securing Conferences & Trade Shows 

Conferences, trade shows, and major corporate meetings present unique security challenges. By design, they need to have relatively open access. But having so many individuals gathered in confined spaces—along with their data-carrying devices—presents a compelling target for bad actors and complex challenges for security teams. 

1. Protests & planned disruptions: Determined attackers could pose as attendees to get inside normally restricted perimeters to gain access to restricted areas within your event venue.
2. Data breaches: Conferences often involve sensitive information sharing. And almost everyone will be carrying laptops and mobile devices vulnerable to cyberattacks aimed at stealing confidential data or disrupting presentations. Attackers looking to steal sensitive data would love to get within your physical and network security perimeters for easier network access. 

2025 Security Strategy: How to Future-Proof Your Organization 

Organizations must move beyond reactive security measures and cultivate a culture of continuous improvement. Security teams of all sizes will need to take a more proactive and strategic approach, especially if they want to meet the challenges of 2025. 

Essential Security Best Practices for 2025 

1Conduct Regular Risk Assessments:

In 2025, security teams should look to continuously evaluate new vulnerabilities and identify the ones most likely to impact their organizations. 

2Comprehensive Security Planning

 

Develop and Update Comprehensive Security Plans: Develop detailed plans outlining procedures, resources, and response protocols for various scenarios revealed by your risk assessments.

3Employee Security Awareness Programs

Gone are the days when we could rely on security teams alone for safety. Equip your workforce with the knowledge and skills to recognize the most impactful threats to your organization.

4Multi-Layered Defense Systems

Implement multiple layers of defense—sometimes called defense in depth—to create a robust security ecosystem that can withstand sophisticated attacks.

5Continuous Threat Monitoring & Adaptation

Keep abreast of emerging threats, technologies, and industry best practices through continuous learning and research. Then, start back at step one. Keep this feedback loop going, and your organization will be in the best position to respond to emerging threats in 2025 and beyond.