If you are one of the billions of Internet-users, you’ve likely thought about cybersecurity – how to protect yourself, your data, and your business from a data breach or other cyberattack. As cybercrime becomes increasingly sophisticated and attacks are more prevalent, it’s important to stay on top of the latest cybersecurity trends so you can protect your data from potential threats.
1. Phishing will remain one of the most common, and most effective, means of cyberattack
Phishing schemes involve the use of fraudulent emails to attempt to gather the private information of an individual or organization. A report entitled the Vailmail Spring 2019 Email Fraud Landscape found that around 3.4 billion emails are sent daily, making the risk of being phished extremely widespread.
Individuals and organizations can protect themselves by erring on the side of caution when it comes to opening emails or attachments from suspicious or unknown senders. If you get an email from an individual you don’t know, you can use a people search site to verify their identity. Sites like Nuwber can give you important background information that could alert you to a potential scam. Organizations can better protect themselves by training all employees about basic cybersecurity best practices and having open channels to report possible a possible data breach or attack so it can be addressed quickly.
2. Hackers are turning to mobile devices to launch cyberattacks
As more and more of us rely on our cellphones to do everything from answering emails to watching the football game, hackers are exploiting this additional avenue of attack. Mobile attacks primarily come from third-party app stores, so stick to your device’s official app store to minimize the security risk to your device. It’s also a generally good practice to avoid using publicly available free wifi, which can be a goldmine for hackers looking for an easy way to access your data.
3. MSPs are also under increasing attack
MSPs, or managed service providers, are companies that provide remote IT services to their clients. Because an MSP usually has broad access to its clients’ networks, this is a lucrative attack for cybercriminals. The rising prevalence of these attacks led the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to issue a warning and recommended course of action against this threat in early 2019.
4. Endpoint security vendors continue to consolidate
Endpoint security refers to protecting the end-user devices, like laptops and mobile phones, which are served by an expansive comporter network, like that of a corporation for example. Over the years, as new technologies were developed to defend against the latest cyberattack methods, the market for endpoint security became saturated. As endpoint security continues to evolve and more users turn to the cloud, expect more mergers in response.
5. The rapid rise of 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT) will make data security even more tenuous
The ultra-fast 5G network has already launched in the United States and is expected to cover the nation by 2019. Faster download speeds will enable the rapid expansion of the IoT, which encompasses every Internet-connected device we use, from phones to refrigerators, along with all the data they gather. The dramatic increase in data and the lapses in security for many of these devices makes the threat of data breach imminent.
6. There is a serious shortage of qualified cybersecurity personnel
Further exacerbating the threat of cyberattacks of all stripes is the alarming shortfall of cybersecurity experts ready to face the threat. According to Cybersecurity Ventures, there are expected to be 3.5 million open cybersecurity positions open by 2021. While the gap in talent may not be breached in the next 2 years, organizations can mitigate this crisis by investing in training for existing IT personnel within their own companies.
7. Expect the growth of automation and orchestration tools to bolster cybersecurity
One of the ways to enhance cybersecurity, despite the shortage of cybersecurity experts and the windfall of vulnerable data stemming from the IoT, is to implement automation and orchestration technologies into your data security strategy. These technologies have a wide-range of applications, which allow them to support cybersecurity measures already in place, like firewalls, assess potential threats, and launch a rapid response in the event of a cyberattack.
With Cybersecurity Ventures predicting that the costs of cybercrime could top $6 trillion by 2021, organizations must address the threat of cyberattack by any means necessary.
8. As the costs of cybercrime soar, cybersecurity budgets are expanding accordingly
Cybercrime being the enormous, and expensive, threat that it is, it will come as no surprise that spending on cybersecurity will continue to increase as well. As more of the world comes online in the coming years and we become increasingly connected through more and more smart devices, governments and businesses of all sizes will be augmenting their budgets to support and protect data security.
9. Governments are starting to put the pressure on businesses to protect consumer data
As individual consumers become more aware of threats to their data privacy and security, governments are beginning to hold companies accountable for questionable, and in some cases downright dangerous, data security practices. It began with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulations which took effect in 2018. It includes measures that require companies to collect and store data anonymously, to ask the express permission of individuals before processing their data, and to inform consumers of any possible security breach .
In the United States, the most significant legislation is the California Consumer Privacy Act, which will go into effect in January 2020. Consumers will have more control over their data and know what sort of data companies have gathered about them, and will be able to request that a company delete their data, among other measures.
Although it can seem abstract, cybersecurity impacts every internet user. Ever-evolving threats, ever more data, and the increasing connectivity of the digital world means we are all the more vulnerable to threats of every size. All of us can help mitigate the threat of cyberattack by taking an active role in protecting our data and staying aware of the latest trends in the world of cybersecurity.