If 2017 has shown us anything, it’s that even major organizations can come to a grinding halt due to cyber security attacks.
This message probably won’t come as a surprise to many businesses. After all, several big-name brands have suffered embarrassing data breaches in recent years, causing significant financial and reputational damage.
What makes this year unique is the scale and relative simplicity of attacks that hackers are using. Several companies received ransomware viruses that had a serious global impact, despite the hackers’ unsophisticated methods.
So what cyber security trends can we expect to see in 2018? We’ve searched the latest analysis and predictions to bring you a selection of opinions for the New Year:
- Active-defense cyber security models. Many organizations have relied on a reactive approach to cyber security, hoping their systems will safeguard the majority of threats and only require them to deal with the rare attacks that breach defenses. The active-defense model enables businesses to detect and handle attacks in real-time. Some companies use traps and dummy environments to draw in cyber criminals, which diverts them away from sensitive assets, while also allowing the business to gain intelligence from the hackers.
- Ransomware turns to point-of-sale systems. Ransomware was arguably the cyber security threat of 2017, and it is believed that criminals will evolve their attack patterns in order to continue monetizing hacking efforts. Until now, ransomware has traditionally been used to prevent businesses from accessing core data, which is then restored (or not, as the case may be) once the victim pays a ransom. But point-of-sale (POS) systems could become a new target for 2018 with retailers.
- Hackers target the cloud. Cloud computing has reigned for several years and research shows that 88 percent of businesses use these services with 68 percent expecting to boost cloud adoption over the following year. Security has always been a rollercoaster ride for the cloud. It is suggested and advised for businesses to consider cloud security guidelines, as well as cloud decision models for identifying and preventing risks.
- Growth in the internet of things (IoT). Smart devices are becoming commonplace in the home, as Amazon’s Echo and various connected kitchen appliances provide an added layer of convenience for consumers. Businesses also take advantage of these technologies and are unaware that products are often insecure by design. Unfortunately, having more devices connected to the internet brings an added security threat. The data these devices collect could cause problems for businesses gathering information from consumer devices. Keeping track of all this data will be difficult, with breaches and transparency violations likely to draw the attention of regulators.
These are just a handful of the cyber security predictions for next year. Preparing a comprehensive strategy to combat potential threats is an evolving challenge that businesses must continue to revisit as new risks present themselves. Having an IT team on your side helps tremendously.
Make building your cyber security capabilities a professional New Year’s resolution for 2018. Book your free consultation today.
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Phillip Long – CISSP, CEO of , along with his team of marketing and information technology experts, will walk you through an overview of what your business should be doing to protect your data and plan your digital marketing strategies.
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