Hybrid cloud security was built before the current era of automated, machine-based cyberattacks that take just milliseconds to execute and minutes to deliver devastating impacts to infrastructure. The architectures and tech stacks every enterprise depends on, from batch-based detection to siloed tools to 15-minute response windows, stood a better chance of defending against attackers moving at human speed. But in a weaponized AI world, those approaches to analyzing threat data don’t make sense. The latest survey numbers tell the story. More than half (55%) of organizations suffered cloud breaches in the past year. That’s a 17-point spike, according to Gigamon’s 2025 Hybrid Cloud Security Survey. Nearly half of the enterprises polled said their security tools missed the attack entirely. While 82% of enterprises now run hybrid or multi-cloud environments, only 36% express confidence in detecting threats in real time, per Fortinet’s 2025 State of Cloud Security Report.Adversaries aren’t wasting any time weaponizing AI to target hybrid cloud vulnerabilities. Organizations now face 1,925 cyberattacks weekly. That’s an increase of 47% in a year. Further, ransomware surged 126% in the first quarter of 2025 alone. The visibility gaps everyone talks about in hybrid environments is where breaches originate. The bottom line is that the security architectures designed for the pre-AI era can’t keep pace.But the industry is finally beginning to respond. CrowdStrike, for its part, is providing one vision of cybersecurity reinvention. Today at AWS re:Invent, the company is rolling out real-time Cloud Detection and Response, a platform designed to compress 15-minute response windows down to seconds. But the bigger story is why the entire approach to hybrid cloud security must change, and what that means for CISOs planning their 2026 strategies.Why the old model for hybrid cloud security is failingInitially, hybrid cloud promised the best of both worlds. Every organization could have public cloud agility with on-prem control. The security model that took shape reflected the best practices at the time. The trouble is that those best practices a …
