In a very short period, technology has grown to let us do practically everything in a matter of just a few clicks. The very same technology has also become the biggest source of cybercrimes.
We have seen exponential growth in cybercrimes with business email frauds, phishing scams, and ransomware attacks on the rise in the last few years. The only way to avoid these issues is to stay aware of the latest cyber security trends and tools to mitigate the risks.
The question of trust will remain a cornerstone in cyber security practises. As many companies move their corporate data to the cloud, they will focus on adopting a zero-trust approach considering the risk of poor cloud security.
It means that the risk of breaking the system can come from anywhere. Thus, the access to data will be guaranteed only to legitimate identities and will limit unauthorised access to the company network to avoid a data breach.
Here are the three main cyber security trends of 2022!
The ransomware threat
2021 boomed with ransomware attacks due to pandemics, increased online activity, and usage of digital devices and the digital environment. And it is expected to grow: ransomware includes infecting devices with a virus that threatens a user to pay to save valuable information from being destroyed by a hacker.
Commonly, ransomware starts with a phishing attack. Lately, it affects public sector organisations that store sensitive information, big corporations, or brands that store Big Data about their customers. Moreover, ransomware also targets critical infrastructures such as chemical and medical centres, water and energy resource facilities. Therefore, social engineering attacks will continue increasing until there is a built cyber security culture.
Cybersecurity powered by AI
Companies use Artificial intelligence to counteract cyber crimes by identifying out-of-ordinary patterns of behaviour. It means that AI helps companies to analyse the behaviour patterns of cybercriminals. Machine learning depends on rich data to produce successful algorithms. However, cybercriminals are aware of such advantages of AI. It is expected that new cyber threats will emerge in machine learning technologies usage.
The IoT proactivity
The Internet of Things is several connected devices with shared data that are rapidly growing. It means cybercriminals will be looking for opportunities to access such digital systems as household connected devices (smart TVs) or home networks (phones). Centralising data storage or having shared data within several devices creates a vulnerability in data security. Many organisations have already developed “digital twins” that are digital simulations of entire systems.
There are also some other new phishing trends to be aware of in 2022:
- Cryptojacking: cryptocurrency cybercrimes. Crytpojacking is a form of malware that gives a hacker access to a wallet.
- Mobile-focused cyber crimes. It is difficult to recognize phone scams or spyware installed on a device as mobile phones became a significant part of our daily life activity.
- Stalkerware. It is software used for cyberstalking. It can be downloaded to the device by phishing, for example.
Cyber security seems to be the most complex and challenging issue faced by organisations today. The rise of business, technology, and social media has also allowed cyber criminals and fraudsters to be more successful and sophisticated. Cyber threats have become more aggressive and destructive. It calls for businesses to have appropriate cyber security measures in place.
Cyber security today is also about people which makes cyber security skills management critical for organisations. The key to cyber security skills management is to train staff and employees in a way that they can identify, prevent, and respond to cyber attacks or other cyber incidents.
