TECHNOLOGY
Emerging – CyberWhite’ s chief commercial and innovation officer Matt Hewison says AI gives cybercriminals 24 / 7 capacity to exploit vulnerabilities.
ACT NOW, ACT TOGETHER
How CyberWhite and the CIA help keep AI‘ bad actors’ at bay
WORDS: DAVE ROBSON PICTURES: CHRIS BOOTH
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cybersecurity specialist says the relentless march of AI means digital security has never been more important.
Since 2018, CyberWhite has recorded continuous upward momentum, anchored in the company’ s deep commitment to serving organisations across the North-East, with Teesside emerging as a powerhouse of growth.
With clients across manufacturing, oil and gas, marine and port operations, utilities and the legal profession, CyberWhite has become a trusted partner for organisations with complex, missioncritical cybersecurity needs.
This growth reflects more than just strong commercial results. It shows that businesses in the region are embracing cybersecurity not just as an IT function, but as a strategic enabler of trust, resilience and performance.
With bases in Sunderland and Middlesbrough’ s Boho 5 building, CyberWhite’ s consistent focus on measurable outcomes, customer success and clear communication has turned short-term projects into long-term partnerships.
And sobering statistics suggest the cybersecurity landscape has never been more critical because in today’ s environment, the rules of cyber-risk have changed.
Recent findings show that:
> 78 % of chief information security officers( CISOs) report AI-powered threats are already impacting their operations( Darktrace, 2025).
> 73 % of enterprises experienced at least one AI-related security incident in the past year, with average breach costs of US $ 4.8m( Metomic, 2025).
> AI-driven phishing has increased by 1,265 %, fuelled by generative AI tools( SentinelOne, 2025). In short, says CyberWhite’ s chief commercial and innovation officer Matt Hewison, the“ bad actors” are now armed with AI, don’ t need to rest and have an infinitely scalable code.
Talking to Tees Business at CyberWhite’ s Middlesbrough office, Matt said:“ We’ re entering an unprecedented era where AI gives cybercriminals 24 / 7 capacity to exploit vulnerabilities.
“ The challenge for organisations isn’ t just keeping up, it’ s finding trusted partners who truly understand both the threats and the business impact.
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