Cybersecurity is a hot-button issue for every individual, government, and corporation. Data must be secured, and the European Union’s 2018 General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is proving to have global implications. This is just one of the many strict laws that regulate the steps companies must take to protect their user’s data. Still, the last few years were filled with massive cyberattacks.
Over 100 million Americans had personal information leaked during a 2019 Capital One hack that compromised 140,000 Social Security numbers and 80,000 linked bank accounts.
This pales in comparison to the 885 million personal and financial records exposed in the 2019 hack of First American Financial Corp or the 540 million personal records exposed during the 2019 Facebook data breach on an unsecured Amazon server. That’s not even counting the 30 million Facebook users affected by a separate 2018 security breach.
Some attacks aim more for infamy than money, as seen when Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s Twitter account was hacked in August 2019 and filled with racist tweets. Only one user’s account was compromised in this case, but it made a clear point – everyone needs to be aware of cybersecurity trends in 2020. And perhaps more importantly, how to protect against them.
Emerging Trends in Cybersecurity
While the threat of cybersecurity is genuine, these attacks rarely come out of thin air. In fact, Gartner points out that 99% of vulnerabilities through 2020 will continue to be known threats in the IT and security community. Gartner also estimates 25% of those attacks will involve IoT (Internet of Things), and a third of successful enterprise attacks will be on shadow IT resources.
Below we’ll discuss the top five cybersecurity trends to expect in 2020.
1. Phishing Cybersecurity Future Trends
Phishing remains a popular attack because it’s relatively simple to perform. Phishing is a form of social engineering in which the attacker impersonates an internal employee or client to gain log-in credentials to enterprise systems. Trend Micro reports lateral phishing is becoming more common entering 2020, specifically with Office 365, a common cloud-based productivity suite in business.
Lateral phishers send Office 365 administrators “urgent” alerts to urge immediate attention for an enterprise installation. When the admin clicks the link, they’re taken to a realistic-looking phishing site to enter Microsoft admin credentials. Once a bad actor has a legitimate account, it’s easy to access company email lists and spread throughout the company.
2. Mobile Cybersecurity Trends 2020
IoT and mobile devices are the least secure of all enterprise devices. Most IT security policies only cover desktop and mobile workstations, leaving printers, routers, and other network-connected equipment vulnerable. Security patches are regularly released for these products, and missing or delaying one can cause a significant security breach.
Because mobile devices have cameras, cyberattacks involving them cross the line into criminal blackmail in some cases. Bleeping Computer uncovered an email extortion scheme in August 2019 in which emails were sent demanding a $700 Bitcoin payment to prevent the release of footage from on-device cameras.
3. Ransomware Still Among Cybersecurity Future Trends
Ransomware is a devastating attack in which the victim’s computer is locked out, and the only way to decrypt and access the information is by paying a ransom, typically in cryptocurrency, which is difficult to trace. Ransomware slowed down in 2018 on the whole, according to Symantec’s 2019 Internet Security Threat Report, but its usage steadily increased on enterprise users.
CNN reports 140 local governments, police stations, and hospitals were victims of ransomware in 2019, and both individual and state-back actors are expected to increase attack frequency in 2020. Europol’s 2019 Internet Organized Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA) notes that ransomware is the most widespread and financially damaging cyber attack.
4. AI Powers Emerging Trends in Cybersecurity
Artificial intelligence is both the cause of and solution to cybersecurity future trends, enabling automation for both security and malware. These learning algorithms were cited by 69% of enterprise IT executives as being crucial to responding to emerging threats in cybersecurity.
Integrating AI into firewalls, anti-virus, anti-malware, and other operational processes secure the business against AI-powered brute force attacks that could otherwise cripple them.
5. Managed IT Secures Against Cyber Security Future Trends
Managed IT services are the key to staying ahead of evolving cybersecurity trends in 2020 and beyond. Cybersecurity professionals assess current business resources and install the latest security measures without compromising productivity.
The managed IT partner then monitors network usage in real-time to alert stakeholders of any emerging threats, forming a proactive response to tomorrow’s security threats.
Avoid These Cybersecurity Trends Today with ImageNet
Emerging trends in cybersecurity are heading toward more sophisticated attacks costing potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. Cybercriminals prefer to target businesses, governments, and other large organizations with large pools of data over individual users. However, from personal data to business data, adding a layer of security to protect yourself against cyber threats is key to stopping hackers in their tracks.
Contact ImageNet today to learn how we can protect your organization from cybersecurity trends in 2020 and beyond.
Go into 2020 knowing your data is protected. Take our free, comprehensive assessment of your current cybersecurity environment to find out if your data has been breached.
