CYBERSECURITY TRENDS
INTRODUCTION
With the Digital revolution around all businesses, small or large,
corporates, organizations and even governments are relying on
computerized systems to manage their day-to-day activities and thus
making cybersecurity a primary goal to safeguard data from various
online attacks or any unauthorized access. Continuous change in
technologies also implies a parallel shift in cybersecurity trends as
news of data breach, ransomware and hacks become the norms.
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1.Rise of Automotive Hacking:
Modern vehicles nowadays come packed with automated software
creating seamless connectivity for drivers in cruise control, engine
timing, door lock, airbags and advanced systems for driver assistance.
These vehicles use Bluetooth and Wi Fi technologies to communicate
that also opens them to several vulnerabilities or threats from hackers.
Gaining control of the vehicle or using microphones for
eavesdropping is expected to rise in 2023 with more use of automated
vehicles. Self-driving or autonomous vehicles use an even further
complex mechanism that requires strict cybersecurity measures.
2.Potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI):
With AI being introduced in all market segments, this technology with
a combination of machine learning has brought tremendous changes
in cybersecurity. AI has been paramount in building automated
security systems, natural language processing, face detection, and
automatic threat detection. Although, it is also being used to develop
smart malware and attacks to bypass the latest security protocols in
controlling data. AI-enabled threat detection systems can predict new
attacks and notify admins of any data breach instantly.
3.Mobile is the New Target:
Cybersecurity trends provide a considerable increase (50 percent) for
mobile banking malware or attacks in 2019, making our handheld
devices a potential prospect for hackers. All our photos, financial
transactions, emails, and messages possess more threats to
individuals. Smartphone viruses or malware may capture the attention
of cybersecurity trends in 2023.
4.Cloud is Also Potentially Vulnerable:
With more and more organizations now established on clouds,
security measures need to be continuously monitored and updated to
safeguard the data from leaks. Although cloud applications such as
Google or Microsoft are well equipped with security from their end
still, it's the user end that acts as a significant source for erroneous
errors, malicious software, and phishing attacks.
5.Data Breaches: Prime Target:
Data will continue to be a leading concern for organizations around
the world. Whether it be for an individual or organization,
safeguarding digital data is the primary goal now. Any minor flaw or
bug in your system browser or software is a potential vulnerability for
hackers to access personal information. New strict measures General
Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was enforced from May 25th,
2018 onwards, offering data protection and privacy for individuals in
the European Union (EU). Similarly, the California Consumer Privacy
Act (CCPA) was applied after January 1st, 2020, for safeguarding
consumer rights in the California area.
6.Targeted Ransomware:
Another important cybersecurity trend that we can't seem to ignore is
targeted ransomware. Especially in the developed nations' industries
rely heavily on specific software to run their daily activities. These
ransomware targets are more focused such as the Wanna Cry attack on
the National Health Service hospitals in England Scotland corrupted
more than 70,000 medical devices. Though generally, ransomware
asks to threaten to publish the victim's data unless a ransom is paid
still it can affect the large organization or in case of nations too
7.State-Sponsored Cyber Warfare:
There won't be any stoppage between the western and eastern powers
in attempts to find superiority. The tension between the US and Iran
or Chinese hackers often creates worldwide news though the attacks
are few; they have a significant impact on an event such as elections.
And with more than 70 elections bound to be held this year, criminal
activities during this time will surge. Expect high-profile data
breaches, political and industrial secrets to top cybersecurity trends
for 2023.
8.Identity and Access Management:
Identity and access management (IAM) is a security measure that
helps organizations control and monitor who has access to sensitive
data and networks. They should ensure adequate IAM measures, such
as user authentication, authorization policies, and access control lists.
9. International State-Sponsored Attackers:
State-sponsored attackers have become increasingly sophisticated,
and organizations need to be aware that these types of attackers may
target them. They must ensure adequate security measures to protect
against these types of attacks, such as multi-factor authentication and
real-time monitoring.
Social engineering attacks are on the rise, as attackers use techniques
such as phishing, spear phishing, and identity theft to gain access to
sensitive data. Organizations must ensure that their employees are
trained to recognize and report any suspicious activity and have
measures in place to protect against these types of attacks.
10.Real-Time Data Monitoring:
Real-time data monitoring is an important security measure that helps
organizations detect and respond to any suspicious activity. They
should ensure that they have adequate measures in place to monitor
all data activity, such as automated alerts and log monitoring.
11.Automotive Hacking:
As cars become increasingly connected to the internet, they are also
becoming vulnerable to cyberattacks. Organizations should ensure
adequate security measures to protect connected vehicles, such as
encryption, authentication, and real-time monitoring.
12.Data privacy as a discipline:
One of the key data security trends is the rise of data privacy as a
discipline in its own right. Numerous high-profile cyber-attacks have
led to the exposure of millions of personally identifiable information
records (PII). This, coupled with the introduction of stricter data laws
worldwide, such as the EU's GDPR, means data privacy is
increasingly being prioritized.
Organizations that don’t comply with regulation and consumer
expectations run the risk of fines, bad publicity, and losing consumer
trust. Data privacy affects almost all aspects of an organization. As a
result, organizations are placing more emphasis on recruiting data
privacy officers and ensuring role-based access control, multi-factor
authentication, encryption in transit and at rest, network
segmentation, and external assessments to identify areas of
improvement.
13.Social engineering attacks getting smarter:
Social engineering attacks like phishing are not new threats but have
become more troubling amid the widespread remote workforce.
Attackers target individuals connecting to their employer’s network
from home because they make easier targets. As well as traditional
phishing attacks on employees, there has also been an uptick in
whaling attacks targeting executive organizational leadership.
SMS phishing – sometimes known as ‘smishing’ – is also gaining
prominence, thanks to the popularity of messaging apps such as
WhatsApp, Slack, Skype, Signal, WeChat, and others. Attackers use
these platforms to try to trick users into downloading malware onto
their phones.
Another variation is voice phishing – also called ‘vishing’ – which
gained prominence in a Twitter hack in 2020. Hackers posing as IT
staff called customer service representatives and tricked them into
providing access to an important internal tool. Vishing has been used
to target numerous companies, including financial institutions and
large corporates.
There is also SIM jacking, where fraudsters contact the
representatives of the mobile operator of a particular client and
convince them that their SIM card is hacked. This makes it necessary
to transfer the phone number to another card. If the deception is
successful, the cybercriminal gains access to the digital contents of
the target’s phone.
Organizations are increasing their protection against phishing, but
criminals are always looking for new ways to stay ahead. This
includes sophisticated phishing kits which target victims differently
depending on their location.
14.Improved Security for IoT Devices:
Internet of Things (IoT) devices are becoming increasingly popular
and are expected to become even more popular in the coming years.
As more devices become connected, the need for improved security
for these devices will become increasingly important. Organizations
should ensure that the security of their IoT devices is up to date, as
well as ensure that their data and applications remain secure.
15.AI Potential:
Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionize the
security landscape. AI can help detect and respond to cyberattacks in
real time, as well as automate mundane security tasks. Organizations
should ensure that they have adequate security measures in place to
protect against any potential AI-related threats.
16.Cloud Also Vulnerable:
Cloud computing provides many benefits but introduces new security
risks. Organizations should ensure adequate security measures to
protect cloud-based data and networks, such as encryption,
authentication, and regular patching. As more companies move their
data and applications to the cloud, the need for cloud security
solutions that can protect these assets will increase. Cloud security
solutions are designed to protect data stored in the cloud from
unauthorized access, as well as protect against data breaches and
other cyber threats.
17.Multi-Factor Authentication:
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a security measure that requires
users to provide more than one form of authentication before they can
access an account. This additional layer of security helps to protect
against cyberattacks, as attackers must have access to multiple pieces
of information in order to gain access. Organizations should ensure
that all accounts are secured with MFA to reduce the risk of
unauthorized access. Automation is becoming increasingly important
in cybersecurity. Automated security processes can help reduce the
time it takes to detect and respond to threats and improve the accuracy
of threat detection. Automation can also reduce the reliance on
manual processes, which can be time-consuming and prone to human
error.
18. Mobile Protection:
There are just as many threats on the mobile landscape as there are
with computers. With the popularity of smartphones and tablets on the
rise, they are becoming more of a target to cybercriminals. Since
we’re starting to use our smaller devices as we would a desktop or
laptop computer, more of our personal data is stored on these devices
and thieves are taking notice. Learn about the varied types of threats
on the mobile landscape and how to stay safe.
19.Online Scams:
Scammers are the bottom of the barrel of Internet criminals. Online
scams take hardly any technical skills to execute, yet so many people
fall for them. You can find online scams everywhere today, from
social media platforms to our private email accounts. These articles
can teach you how to identify the common red flags found in most
scams, and how to keep protected against them.
