One thing\u2019s clear about what will happen with online threats in 2020: cybersecurity is not getting any easier. The good news is that it\u2019s the early months of the year and all predictions are in, so there\u2019s still some time to get ready. What to expect from cybersecurity in 2020?<\/p>\n
And
\nso, we went on a quest through the vastness of cyberspace in search of the best
\nand finest predictions out there. Then we added our own expertise to the mix.
\nThe result is a shortlist of considerations we suggest you keep in mind when
\ndesigning or implementing your cybersecurity strategy for the year ahead. <\/p>\n
Remember WannaCry? The National Health Service surely does after almost \u00a3100m in losses and the cancellation of 19.000 appointments<\/a>. But the NHS was not alone. Around 230,000 computers in over 150 countries were infected in a matter of hours, leading to an estimated $4 billion in total losses<\/a>. The culprit? An NSA-devised exploit of Windows\u2019 EternalBlue vulnerability, for which Microsoft released a patch shortly after the liability was made public. <\/p>\n The Microsoft\u2019s Windows 7 service cut is bound to follow the same path. Sure \u2014 the company is extending its support to businesses until 2023<\/a>, so those running business-critical applications that only work on the old OS should be fine. But, that\u2019s only if they are willing and able to pay. Add those who can\u2019t to the forgetful types who won\u2019t be upgrading out of plain carelessness, and you have 2017 all over again. <\/p>\n Be As Perhaps the strike comes from a company or cloud provider that didn\u2019t carry out due diligence and didn\u2019t effectively protect their data during transmission, storage or processing. Or, maybe, as Kaspersky Lab suggest<\/a>s, attackers will leverage the cloud themselves to increase the frequency of their attacks until one breaks through. <\/p>\n What The more connections in a network, the greater the benefit for those who manage to break into it. \u00a0As Forescout points out<\/a>, enterprise 5G adoption is expected to reach critical mass in 2020. The sheer number of connected devices and the amounts of data they hold should be attractive enough for attackers to try to exploit the vulnerabilities of cellular networks. <\/p>\n If Here\u2019s The good news first: AI and Machine Learning will be instrumental in helping cybersecurity experts detect attacks and protect data and infrastructure. The benefits are more than evident. Security tools and protocols that can learn and have increased autonomy are great allies for defending your virtual castle. According to Capgemini<\/a>, 63% of organizations will have AI-based solutions in place by the end of 2020. Most of these applications will have a security focus. \u00a0<\/p>\n The In the art of sabotage, simplicity is key. Why bother trying to compromise the finished product when you can alter one of its key components right at the factory line? As Enterprise SpA CTO Pierluigi Paganini notes<\/a>, supply chain attacks are only going to increase with time. Although they still pose a relatively low threat, it can\u2019t hurt to be a bit more cautious with the vetting of third-party suppliers. <\/p>\n We An The The scary part, however, is that, no matter how many precautions you take, someone can still be tricked \u2013 or paid \u2014 into letting in the attackers. Kasperky alerts of these perils<\/a>. As the costs of breaking into a network raise due to improved security, hackers are going to increasingly target employees \u00ad\u2014 whether it is through phishing attacks and very convincing deepfake calls<\/a>, or by paying them money or extorting them. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nproblem with software updates, however, is that not everybody installs them. Furthermore,
\nsome users cannot even install the patch since they\u2019re running older software
\nversions that are no longer offered support \u2014 Rings a bell?<\/p>\n
\nready for the very real possibility of a massive attack that infects unpatched
\nusers and spreads laterally from one organization to another, from one country
\nto the next. It only takes one sloppy third party for disaster to unfold. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\nDark clouds on the horizon<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\neveryone and their mother moves their infrastructure and business-critical workloads
\nto the cloud, the potential for a massive data breach affecting all the nodes
\nin the network is skyrocketing. <\/p>\n
\nis obvious at this point, is that you should tread very carefully when
\nnavigating the multi-cloud ecosystem. Make sure all the involved stakeholders
\nunderstand the extent of your cloud ramifications. Hire a robust security team.
\nPartner with the right providers. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\nCybersecurity in 2020: The advent of 5G<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nyou\u2019re betting big on IoT and 5G, make sure your team is prepared for, or at
\nleast aware of, these vulnerabilities and is monitoring for potential attacks.
\nThe industry as a whole will need to reevaluate 5G security post-deployment,
\nbut, in the meantime, response time is key. <\/p>\nOh, my \u2014 AI<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nsome good and bad news. <\/p>\n
\nbad news? Hackers can do that too. Expect AI-powered hackbots coming to your
\nneighbourhood very soon. Certainly, an eerie thought to entertain. \u00a0<\/p>\nCorrupting the root<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Cybersecurity in 2020: Final reflections on the fallibility of the human mind <\/strong><\/h3>\n
\noften focus solely on the might of technology, its great potential for good and
\nevil. The truth is that people have been duping each other since ancient times.
\nAs many of the biggest cyberattacks of the past years remind us, it is usually
\na human error that starts it all. <\/p>\n
\nemployee that inadvertently exposes vital information. Someone clicking on a
\nlink that their boss allegedly sent them. An infected thumb drive. A computer that
\nwasn\u2019t updated. <\/p>\n
\nhuman element is a decisive factor in the world of cybersecurity. Organisations
\nneed to implement better security training for their employees, as well as
\nimproved data hygiene and BYOD policies. <\/p>\n