2025, THE YEAR OF THE ULTIMATE CRASH TEST

End credits for 2025. From brutal assault to intimate betrayal, relive the three acts that changed everything.

Author

Johnny Rico
December 25, 2025

🤖 Dear internet users and fellow Cyberdefenders,

It’s the last Thursday of the year. While most companies are freezing their code for the holidays, attack groups are definitely not observing a ceasefire.

For the US edition of CyberDefense.net, 2025 has a unique flavor. We weren't born in calm waters; we were born in the storm. We launched this edition last June, right in the middle of a red alert, with a headline that wasn't a question but a statement: “Cyber Apocalypse Unleashed.”

Six months and 26 newsletters later, reality has outpaced fiction. We watched the security perimeter explode saw major infrastructure crumble in October, and we are ending the year on a chilling realization: the enemy is no longer knocking at the door; they have the keys.

This first half-year of existence was marked by terrifying technological escalation: the democratization of offensive AI, the first post-quantum tremors, and the industrialization of cybercrime.

If you want to survive—both budget-wise and technically—through Q1 2026, you must understand the story we told this year. This isn't just a retrospective; it’s your survival roadmap.

Don't close this page. Your January defense strategy depends on it.

🗞️​ Guess what ?

Here is the essence of this year of cyber warfare:

We entered the arena on June 27th with “Cyber Apocalypse Unleashed.” It wasn't marketing hype. The summer marked the end of the digital “Cold War” and the start of open conflict. US companies realized that their perimeter defenses were no longer ramparts but mere chalk lines against automated, massive attacks. The message was clear: survival no longer depends on prevention, but on resilience.

Autumn shattered the myth of the Sovereign Cloud. With our October 30th dossier on "AWS Outage Exposes Critical Flaws", we hit a nerve. This moment proved that no infrastructure, no matter how gigantic, is immune. Excessive centralization on a few hyperscalers became the Achilles' heel of the economy. The lesson was harsh: if the Cloud falls, you fall with it.

We end the year on the most terrifying warning with our December 18th edition: “You Are Exposed! Get Ready to Take Back Control.” The loop is closed. The enemy isn't trying to break your tools anymore; they are piloting them. Through the illusion of sovereignty and access manipulation, hackers are now sitting in the driver's seat. They aren't just stealing your data; they are stealing your authority over the system.

This was the last one of the year. Thank you.

Thank you for joining the ranks of our American readers over these past six months. We’ve raced to catch up with history by exposing the flaws others tried to hide.

But don't lower your shields just yet. While you enjoy your holiday dinner, scripts will be running. If this retrospective opened your eyes to the urgency of the situation, don't keep it to yourself.

👉 Forward this review to your board or your IT teams. It might be the best Christmas gift you can give to your company's survival.

We’ll meet again in January to face 2026. Until then, disable your unused access rights and enjoy the ones you have left.

Merry Christmas!

— The CyberDefense.net Team