A quick rundown of the cybersecurity threats that will face the year 2022
As we gaze into our crystal ball to see what the year 2022 holds, let us remember cybersecurity experts. They’ll face mounting pressure from both the ‘bad guys and the ‘good guys.’ It will grow increasingly difficult to secure data and comply with government requirements, regardless of the industry in which these individuals work. A persistent cyber threat also marked the year 2021. It is projected that the year 2022 will be just as pervasive. Cybersecurity will continue to be a top priority. Here are the major cybersecurity concerns that appear to be surfacing this year.
The growing threat of ransomware & Phishing
Just like covid, no rest for ransomware. It should come as no surprise that the number and sophistication of ransomware attacks would climb; this trend has been accelerating for years. More specifically, research by PwC suggests that 61% of technology executives expect ransomware attacks to increase in 2022.
Acer and Quanta were two of the companies hit by ransomware in 2021. Clop has a wide range of targets, including banks, colleges, law businesses, oil, and aviation conglomerates. Even tech giants like Microsoft have been hit. Attackers exploited a weakness in Microsoft’s email programme in March 2021. A total of 30,000 organizations were impacted.
The only ransomware vaccination is to start sharpening defensive weapons now. It requires CIOs, CISOs, and IT, security teams, to increase their awareness and response plans.
Increasing use of deepfakes and AI
Deepfake campaigns that began in 2021 (presidential election, COVID disinformation) will continue in 2022. Because knowledge has the ability to alter crowds and behaviors, it should not be overlooked.
Forbes reported in October that a sophisticated cyber deception scheme could have stolen up to $US35 million from a Hong Kong bank. A deep fake voice was a major element of the scam; hackers cloned the voice of a well-known company director. They sent this to the bank manager, along with some convincing emails, to prove that the phone call was legitimate.
Sadly, it will not be the last. As scammers improve their abilities and deep fake technology advances, these deceptions will become more sophisticated.
Internet of Things
By 2022, the internet of things (IoT) is expected to have grown to 18 billion linked devices. According to Business Insider, the number of IoT devices is expected to reach 41 billion by 2027. Despite this, just 42% of companies can detect vulnerable IoT devices. As a result, cyber criminals seeking access to secure digital systems now have a much larger number of potential access points.
When dealing with these new or persistent threats, defenders will need to be more strategic. One of the actions to be taken is to use perfect tools. In order to detect and anticipate attacks in real-time, machine learning methods are deployed. This technology is critical for defending against potential threats.