In this day and age, cybersecurity is more important than ever. As operational processes across multiple industries improve, risks and threats are also becoming more sophisticated. In 2022, most companies are facing a different breed of malicious actors. So much has changed over the last two years and the attacks, undoubtedly, reflect the shifts in the tide.
When it comes to protecting your digital assets from hackers and data breaches, knowledge is your first line of defense. Staying updated with cybersecurity technologies and attacks can better equip you and your team on preventing, mitigating, and responding to these threats.
Experts weigh in on the trends you should watch out for in 2022.
Cybersecurity Trends 2022 to Watch Out for
There is no denying how the pandemic has affected the world of cybersecurity. With the world going through significant uncertainty, attacks have been more ruthless and sophisticated. The global crisis gave rise to various vulnerabilities that hackers exploited for the first time.
Experts chime in on the cybersecurity trends 2022 to consider:
1. Rise of People-Centric Attacks
2021 saw a new breed of cyberattacks. For most of the years, instances of malicious activities and data breaches have been directed towards people. This trend of people-centric attacks are expected to continue in 2022:
“The unifying element behind the major cyberattacks we saw in 2021 was that they directly targeted people, requiring some form of human interaction by the victim—from clicking a link to entering credit card info—to succeed. People-centric attacks will continue in 2022 and likely cause even more damage as organizations struggle to protect hybrid workforces while dealing with a security skills gap made worse by the Great Resignation” explained Lucia Milică, Global Resident CISO.
2. Return of Common Cybersecurity Risks
Experts agree that hackers aren’t inclined to deviate from tried-and-tested cybersecurity attacks. Instead of creating new forms of threats, they have chosen to make existing ones more sophisticated.
As such, common cybersecurity products are no longer enough to protect your digital assets. A combination of these products does not necessarily provide a solution. In fact, using too many security devices opens up a slew of new vulnerabilities:
“Point or “best of breed” products don’t really cut it anymore for two reasons. The first is that no product is “best” for very long. If something is good, everyone in the business has some version of it. And the other even more important reason is that if you have a variety of different security and networking devices, it’s complicated to manage and control. And because you’re not able to track multiple vendors’ devices in a single place, it’s less secure. You’re actually leaving a lot of gaps in between the devices. And attackers know that; they’re going to try to slip through those cracks. Point products that are specific to a narrow niche aren’t sufficient, particularly if you can use a broader product that covers the same area as several point products” explains Joe Robertson, Director of Information Security and EMEA CISO at Fortinet
3. Ransomeware Holds the Title
As mentioned earlier, common and familiar attacks would be rife in 2022. That said, it isn’t surprising how experts believe that ransomware would continue to dominate the cybersecurity threat game:
“Ransomware has been working well for the bad guys for quite some time now, but in 2021, it established itself as a highly effective and lucrative criminal business model. Just like any regular business, things that work tend to accelerate, receive investment and evolve, and we should expect to see a continuing acceleration in the adoption of ransomware tools by attackers, including the criminal enterprises funded—or shielded—by nation-states” explains Casey Ellis, founder, and CTO of bug bounty firm Bugcrowd.
4. Shifts Due to the Popularity of Remote Work
One of the biggest changes the pandemic ushered in is the rise of remote work set-ups. Nowadays, most of the workforce work from home. As such, more companies are moving towards fortifying their cybersecurity protocols through the implementation of zero trust components into their strategy:
“I think it’s important to realize that remote work has changed from work-from-home to work-from-anywhere (WFA). It’s not the same thing. WFA includes both the home and the office, not to mention airports, cafés, trains, and other places. Organizations are rethinking their buildings. They’re looking at having fewer fixed offices, more hot desking, and especially more collaboration and conference spaces. The implications of working from anywhere are, first, denser infrastructure of Wi-Fi in the office and more security for the Wi-Fi. And secondly, an increased need to positively identify users and grant them access only to the applications they need using zero trust principles” says Robertson.
5. Attacks on Supply Chains
Aside from the rise of remote work, eCommerce also boomed during the pandemic. The demand for online products was in such great heights that supply chain software and protocols struggled to keep up. Most retailers have yet to fully master using technology to bolster their logistics operation. Hackers are expected to exploit this vulnerability, well into the new year.
“Cybercriminals recognize there is still much work to be done for most organizations when it comes to securing their software supply chain—especially for organizations that haven’t been proactive about their cybersecurity from the beginning. This is because software supply chains are inherently complex and this complexity will only increase over time” said Marten Mickos, the CEO of HackerOne.
Final Thoughts
We live in a completely different world from what it was two years ago. The pandemic has brought on changes that most operations weren’t prepared for. The tide of these new challenges is expected to continue well into 2022.
Knowing your enemy is half the battle won. However, there is still the rest of the war to fight. Having a cybersecurity partner that is an expert in the field gives you an upper hand. SecureBrain offers tech-based solutions that provide a great supplement to your existing cybersecurity protocols. Our products add an extra layer of protection. Learn more about what we have to offer and contact us today.