Viruses, cloud account breaches, and ransomware attacks have begun topping the list of things that keep business owners and CEOs up at night. Those IT security worries are taking the place of things like supply chain disruption and increased competition.
According to the Allianz Risk Barometer which surveys companies for their biggest risk areas, cyber-attacks were noted as number one by 44% of respondents, and business disruptions came in at number two with 42%.
As technology has become more sophisticated and complex, so has IT security. Companies now must include IoT devices, remote workers and a mobile workforce when planning ways to protect their data and networks.
Cybersecurity infrastructure isn’t a “one time and done” exercise either. As threats evolve and attacks transform, the layers of security you put in place need to also transform to defend against them.
When planning your cybersecurity upgrades for 2022, it’s important to understand the new threats on the horizon so you can proactively put security measures in place to meet them.
With this in mind, your team at Rocky Knoll has reviewed several cybersecurity predictions for this year from Security Magazine that you need to be aware of.
Edge Security Will Become Critically Important
As 5G begins rolling out to enable even more mobile and IoT devices, edge security will become critical to have in place as part of your cybersecurity strategy.
“Edge” simply means those devices at the edge of your network that can act as entry points. This would be PCs, smartphones, tablets, and all those internet-connected smart gadgets (smart speakers, sensors, smart appliances, etc.)
There Will Be an Increase in Nation-State Attacks
Cyber-warfare is a new battleground of the digital age, and nations don’t only target other governments. Many nation-state attacks are designed to cause widespread disruption and can hit businesses with ransomware and other types of threats.
It’s predicted that these state-sponsored attacks will increase in 2022, as capabilities for stealth cyber attacks evolve. One other reason for these attacks beyond the disruption is a monetary one. Many ransomware attacks gain the attacker millions of dollars.
Ransomware Will Continue to Rise Even Further
During the pandemic, ransomware attacks increased 715%, and the trajectory shows no signs of stopping. Ransomware continues to be a favored attack method because it can be very lucrative to the attacker.
Additionally, large criminal groups looking to further monetize this type of threat have set up Ransomware as a Service (RaaS), selling subscriptions to the tools needed to conduct a ransomware attack.
These factors have security experts predicting that ransomware will continue to be a major problem for organizations that will only get worse.
IT Security Best Practices Will Shift to Zero-Trust
With threats rising and getting more sophisticated, standard security needs to evolve proactively. One of the top security approaches is called Zero-Trust. The name comes from the fact that it takes a stance of trusting no one, not even users or programs that have already been granted access to a system or network.
Zero-trust, which includes ongoing monitoring and challenges to ensure only authorized entities are in a network, will become the norm for cybersecurity.
Third-Party Vendors Will Become a Vital Part of Data Security
Not all data breaches happen directly to the company that is named as the breach victim. They can often happen through a third-party vendor that the company uses for data storage.
This year, it’s expected that third-party vendor security will become a larger consideration when companies are planning data security, in a response to more liability that they face in the case of a data breach.
The next prediction is directly tied to this one. More is going to be on the line as far as compliance this year, and most data privacy laws note that a company is responsible to ensure its 3rd party vendors are compliant with data privacy.
More States Will Adopt Data Privacy Laws
Certain states and city municipalities in the U.S. have put their own data protection laws into place. As consumers face rising numbers of identity theft and credit card fraud due to data breaches of their information through a cloud vendor or retailer, regulations are being developed as a safeguard.
It’s expected that a number of states and regions in the country will be putting their own data privacy regulations in place, which will add another layer of compliance responsibility on top of the industry or federal rules that companies are already subject to.
Is Your Cybersecurity Infrastructure Ready?
Don’t leave your company at risk of a cyber incident. Rocky Knoll Technologies can help your Charlotte area business put security protections in place that adopt Zero-Trust measures and provide a necessary safeguard against the newest attacks, without breaking the bank.
Schedule a consultation by calling 704.594.7292 or reach us online.
