The new features of YugabyteDB 2.5 include improved authentication mechanisms, such as the addition of SCRAM-sha-256 password-based authentication and support for LDAP authentication, which allows users to use a single password to connect to multiple services. The release also adds audit logging capabilities, enabling administrators and users to track activity related to data access, and column-level permissions, which allow specifying the exact set of columns a user can access or modify. Additionally, YugabyteDB now supports encryption of data at rest, interoperates with Vormetric Transparent Encryption (VTE) for secure sensitive data protection, and offers symmetric column-level encryption using the pgcrypto module. These features enhance enterprise-grade security features, ensuring the protection of sensitive data in regulated industries.