Introduction
Cyber security has now become the talk of the town. From SMEs to governments, everyone is working to ensure that their data stays safe. The last couple of years has changed how businesses and consumers opt to shop online. Now in 2022, it is imperative to know about the new cyber security trends to stay ahead of cybercriminals.
Cybercriminals have cost thousands of businesses irrecoverable losses, inevitably leading to their closure. So, if you are a business owner wondering about the ROI of your security software investment, you should know about some of the trends in cyber security.
The Rise of AI-based Cyber security
Artificial Intelligence is notably a crucial development that many people believe can change many things around us. The technologies have done wonders for the financial sector, such as banks, insurance companies, stock market brokerage houses, etc.
AI’s streamlined process and easy implementation make it easy to detect any fraud. The robust technology can detect and identify specific behaviors which it believes to be suspicious.
AI relies on its protective powers, which makes the technology essential in cyber security. It makes it easy to catch any activity which is not ordinary. The cost of cybercrime that a small business must deal with is significant. It can lead to the closure of their businesses.
Therefore, we can expect that more and more businesses in different sectors will be implementing AI into their security measures to protect their data in 2022. Since cybercriminals know what AI brings to the table, they are coming up with and using ways to counter it
Hackers and attackers are capitalizing on emerging technologies, such as machine learning to get around companies’ protection measures. It increases the importance of AI as it will be crucial in stopping these AI-backed cyber-attacks.
Businesses now realize the potential that AI holds. That is why many are incorporating it in large numbers. And in 2022, we can expect more small and medium businesses to use it. Let’s look at some cyber security trends to watch out for in 2022.
Top Cyber security Trends for 2022
These are some cyber security trends to watch out for in 2022.
Heightened User Awareness
Cyber threats are becoming more complex and harder to detect. They are also more difficult to tackle as time goes by. Different corporations are not taking new measures to upgrade their security to avoid cyber-attacks.
One of the main things that many entities need to work on is increasing user awareness. It is the easiest way to reduce cyber threats by almost 80%. Incorporating new technologies and protocols is equally important as teaching individuals in the company to avoid such attacks. It can help avoid problems to identity theft and more.
A critical aspect to note is that majority of the people working in different organizations don’t have enough knowledge when it comes to cyber-attacks. They cannot detect if any spam email has phishing links or documents, which makes them vulnerable to growing cyber threats.
These are some old tricks in the book that hackers use. They are now coming up with new techniques for malware infections. Therefore, as companies increase their measures to enhance their cyber security, it is equally essential to increase user awareness.
Training Employees and People on How to Detect Phishing and Other Cyber Threats
You might wonder how you can train your employees and other people in the organization to detect any cyber threats. Here are a few ways you can do that:
- Conduct seminars and training sessions to increase the awareness of your employees
- Take help of web and classroom-based techniques
- Craft a policy that focuses on how employees should manage the confidential information of the company.
- Motivate them to attend new public conferences and new seminars to increase their knowledge
Cyber security Attacks on Evolving Healthcare Industry
Hospitals and other organizations in the healthcare industry are now dealing with the threat of growing cyber-attacks. The health care sector carries vital and sensitive data of the customers, which is why they are now focusing and investing in cyber security measures.
Data breaches are one of the top cyber threats that organizations in the healthcare industry have to deal with. As per IBM, it is likely to cost the health care sector $7.13 million for each organization in 2020. That is a significantly high and alarming number which is driving the organizations in this sector to focus on cyber security more than ever.
Due to the pandemic, many healthcare organizations gave their staff the flexibility to work from home. Doing so required them to reduce their firewall and other safety measures. In addition, many hospitals give telehealth services that don’t follow the same safety protocols that they have in the organization.
All these stats and figures show that the industry is prone to see more attacks in the future. The challenge of data breach presents a continuous threat to the organizations in the health care industry. Therefore, we can expect to see a rise in the trend of more cyber security measures in the healthcare industry.
GDPR Compliance
Cyber threats are a concern for many countries around the globe, which is why the EU has come up with general data protection regulation, or GDPR. It presents a complete regulation to the companies, regardless of their location, will have to abide by these rules for marketing their products in the region.
Since European Union is a big trading partner for many countries and regions, many are complying with the GDPR. It is why you can expect to see more such regulations, which will become a trend in 2022.
Cloud Security
The cloud management system makes it easy for companies to transfer all their data to the cloud. However, cloud security is still a concern for many as it lacks:
- Security encryption
- Audit logging
- Multiple steps for authentication
Because of these few things, IT professionals are looking into the requirement of enhanced cloud security. Cybercriminals can bypass the system and gain access to your data. Nevertheless, the cloud security system is progressing and implementing predictive security.
Using this feature, it becomes easy to find the possibilities of an attack and stop it from causing much of the damage. It is why many businesses are now more likely to upgrade their cloud security.
Machine Learning
Machine learning is now playing a crucial role in cyber security. The adoption of this technology in cyber security can help businesses to identify any attacks quickly, effectively, and with less cost. Machine learning focuses on creating new patterns and tampers with algorithms. As a result, it can figure out and deal with active attacks on the spot.
The implementation of machine learning makes it easy for cyber security systems to predict the threat patterns and know more about the cybercriminal’s next moves. It is beneficial in reducing the time necessary to conduct routine tasks to stop any future attacks.
Air-gapping
Another old trick in the book that we can see in 2022 is air gapping. The idea behind it is to disconnect the company systems from the internet. No internet connection will give no way for the hackers to enter the system.
The best way to combat the threats of ransomware is through air-gapping. Businesses can back up their vital information and confidential data in an air-gapped storage unit. Although it can be a bit challenging to keep all the data offline, there is no possible way for cybercriminals to access it.
Geo-Targeted Phishing Attacks
In the year 2022 and beyond that, we can expect to see a rise in geo-targeted phishing attacks. This is something that many attackers have used previously as well. They disguise the malicious links and software into a well-executed business email that many people cannot identify. With new advancements, phishing emails are now becoming more customized and target a particular demographic.
Businesses are now realizing the severity of this threat and are now implementing new programs to increase awareness among their employees. Therefore, we can expect new cyber-security measures in 2022 to counter the growing problem of phishing.
Higher Education Cyber Security Threats
One of the things about higher education is the new and improved cyber security trends to counter the threats of data leakage. As the world is now moving towards online education, cyber security is now an important component for higher educational institutions. The rise of online learning is here to stay for the foreseeable future.
Therefore, the cyber security trends that we saw last year for higher education are more likely to follow in 2022 as well with advancements, such as:
- Security policies that permit both the students and the teachers to adhere to the safety protocols set by the institute
- Access to the cloud to only specific users within the institute
- Better training for both the staff and the students
More Tech Resilience
The growing emphasis on tech and cyber resilience is something we will witness in 2022. It is taking the tech industry by storm as it offers information security and organizational resilience against any unforeseen cyber-attacks.
The main goal of tech resilience or cyber resilience is to secure and maintain the continuity of the business even during a cyber-attack. Moreover, it helps to protect business data by creating backups, so that you can recover data loss during breaches. All in all, it is a cyber security trend that many companies will incorporate.
Expect More IoT Vulnerability
IoT is seeing rapid advancements throughout the years. And it is constantly under the threat of attacks from cybercriminals. Therefore, we can expect to see more new cyber security trends to safeguard the IoT and keep it functional.
New IoT developments offer advantages to cybercriminals and new startup entrepreneurs. As per different analyses, the market of the IoT is going to reach $276 billion by 2020. Below are some of the new trends for IoT cyber security.
- Government Labeling Mandate: The new order from the government gives instructions to the Director of NIS for increasing the awareness about IoT security among the public.
- 5G Connectivity: The emergence of 5G makes it necessary for IoT organizations to enforce new security mechanisms
- AI and Machine Learning: The usage of AI and Machine Learning in IoT, many companies are using to identify any cyber threats and attacks in the IoT devices beforehand.
Mobile Devices Would Work as Attack Vectors
Smartphones are something that now is a part of our daily lives. The thing is that mobile phones are now a popular vector that cybercriminals can target for attacks. Many applications and software can give cybercriminals access to your personal information through your mobile.
Whether it is shopping, traveling, or using financial services, users have mobile phones for all of these things. As a result, it can be easy for hackers and attackers to target your activities on the phone.
The increasing usage of mobile phones means companies will work on enhancements to improve their security. We can expect to see new cyber security measures and trends like:
- Strong passwords/biometrics.
- Innovative data strategies to keep the data safe
High Government Influence
In addition to the businesses, governments will also have a say in cyber security, and we can expect to see an increase in their influence. It can lead to a problem for businesses due to conflicting government expectations.
Although it is necessary to have a baseline for data protection, it can create hurdles for businesses to deal with conflicting security requirements. As a result, it can be difficult for many businesses to comply with these regulations while remaining effective at the same time.
Focus on Social Engineering
Social engineering is a cyber security trend that will prevail in 2022 and beyond. The growing demand for remote working makes it imperative for you to do the following through which you can prevent this threat:
- Training of employees to identify any such threats relating to social engineering
- More robust back solutions to help you with data backup in case of any attack
For your awareness, here are some common techniques that attackers use in social engineering:
- Baiting: Engaging users to fall into a trap to give out their data, such as credit card details, bank accounts, etc
- Scareware: Sending numerous threats and warnings to show that their system is infected, which leads to tech support scams
- Pretexting: Building trust by intimidating as a law enforcement officer asking for details to perform a crucial task
- Spear Phishing: It involves targeting individuals or organizations and can take months to execute since the perpetrator claim to be an IT consultant within their company
Ransomware across Supply Chain
The year 2021 saw great disruptions in supply chain management for many countries. While the pandemic did have a significant role in disputing global supply chain lines, ransomware didn’t make things easy for companies.
It includes injecting the system with a virus that locks you out of the system and threatens to erase the entire data until you pay the ransom. The payment is through untraceable cryptocurrency. In addition, you can be subject to data leaks that can cause financial harm to your organization.
The most effective way to deal with ransomware is to increase awareness and train your employees. The steps mentioned above for training your employees can prove beneficial in stopping ransomware from coming into your organization.
The Need for More Coordination in Cyber security Industry
More than 30 million small American businesses are now in danger of falling victim to cyber threats. It is highly recommended for this business to have new strategies to combat these issues. In addition, it calls for collaboration for the IT industry to deal with these issues.
In this digital era, every business needs to have a website and app. And cybercriminals know about this business need. Therefore, cyber-attacks can occur during app and software development cycles.
All of these mandates’ government, tech giants, and companies to collaborate and come up with robust cyber security plans and techniques to protect the most valuable resource of the modern era. Moreover, the need for public and private cooperation in cyber security is now inevitable.
The communication gap through proper coordination between the public and the private sector can open new avenues for the cyber security industry.
Final Thoughts
With the growing dominance of digital marketing and eCommerce platforms, we expect new technologies to come up. However, they are open to cyberattacks, such as ransomware, adware, viruses, and spyware. Therefore, it is necessary to know about the new cyber security trends.
These trends are likely to continue ahead of 2022. It will help your business to incorporate the latest techniques to ensure their organization is safe from any cyber threats.
About the author
Danielle Dolloff – EVP OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Danielle runs sales and marketing for Liventus. She is passionate about tackling new challenges and unlocking business opportunities.