Cybersecurity innovations are continuously introduced to combat the ever-increasing attacks that countless organizations face each year. Corporate data breaches enabled by phishing attempts, ransomware, and malicious software are the plague of big business, and year over year the stakes get higher. Many organizations take advantage of these cybersecurity innovations and are increasing efforts to combat new threats as technology advances, but when the global coronavirus pandemic came knocking at the end of Q1 it brought an onslaught of new challenges for 2020. From the beta-like remote work model to new demands in the finance and healthcare sectors, the demand for new cybersecurity innovations has spiked, and as the year draws to a close with numerous cyber casualties reported, many have begun to speculate on cybersecurity trends for 2021 and how they will alter the overall landscape of advanced digital security.
Cybersecurity Trends for 2024: Our Predictions
Staying ahead of the competition is Business 101, but in the world of cybersecurity innovations, it’s quickly becoming life or death. Given the unprecedented challenges that COVID-19 has brought on, there is a strong call to action for organizations such as Cyber Sainik to develop more robust digital weaponry. As such, we’ve made several predictions surrounding cybersecurity trends for 2021.
1. Finance & Healthcare Sectors Will Take the Brunt of the Attacks
Globally, many national economies are on the brink of recession and the business world has already taken multiple hits as consumers close their wallets and corporations hold back on capital spending. To add insult to injury, hackers facing financial desperation are becoming bolder with their threats and are taking advantage of a bad situation to ensure financial gain. This means that while financial institutions aren’t targeted to the same degree as industries such as healthcare or telecommunications, they need to keep a more firm grip on their data if they intend to carry on unscathed.
Healthcare, incidentally, has become the main target for cyberattacks as hackers push ransomware harder than ever. 2020 has been a year filled with death and destruction, but some hackers aren’t afraid to take it a step further by endangering the lives of those who require emergency medical treatment.
In early September, cybercriminals breached a university hospital in Germany causing life-saving equipment to shut down. This led to what many are calling the first cyber-related death when a woman in critical condition lost her life as a direct result of medical treatment delay caused by the attack. This heinous act may be unprecedented, but it proves that ransomware is becoming more dangerous and cybersecurity innovations are essential to the safety and security of both people and data.
2. Remote Work is Here to Stay and Will Remain a Top Target
In the digital age, many entrepreneurs have built their corporate structure around the remote work model, but for most of the world, working from home is a completely new concept that few are ready to embrace. COVID-19 has caused numerous businesses to shut down either partially or in full, meaning that a rapid and dramatic shift has been necessary to continue operations. The traditional corporate structure isn’t designed for remote work, nor are the IT and cybersecurity systems that keep corporate data safe from prying eyes. As such, remote work remains a hot topic in terms of cybersecurity trends for 2021.
As many organizations plan to continue supporting their employees in the home office setting, the demand for new cybersecurity innovations increases. Gaps in data security resulting from remote work have been the target of hackers who have launched a plethora of phishing schemes, fraudulent phone calls, ransomware, and other threats designed to take advantage of disorganized security measures while organizations scramble to protect their sensitive assets.
From employees using personal smartphones with access to corporate data to unstable and vulnerable home WiFi connections, businesses have cried out to cybersecurity companies who are busy racing to find viable solutions to protect their clients. These types of attacks are going to become commonplace, and it will be essential for businesses to react and place importance on their cybersecurity measures.
3. Outdated Security Architecture Will Enable Malicious Attacks
Virtual private networks are used by 400 million businesses around the world, but despite their increasing popularity with individual users, corporate VPNs are becoming a thing of the past. VPNs are used to enable employees to connect to corporate ecosystems from various locations, but it isn’t difficult for hackers to gain access as well. Stolen VPN credentials provide instant access and enable hackers to manipulate data and launch a variety of malicious schemes.
Cybersecurity innovations designed to replace VPN connections include zero-trust security architecture which requires all users to be authenticated continuously and only provides access to the most basic data required to complete their daily tasks. If such steps are not taken, many companies can expect to be breached – weak links in an organization’s digital armor will be targeted even more as remote work continues, and they’ll need to ramp up cybersecurity measures to prevent this.
4. Identity Centric Security Will Become Mainstream
Anyone can obtain a password, but the only person capable of proving that they are you…is you. As cybersecurity innovations advance, more reliance is placed on confirming that the user accessing information is who they say they are. Our prediction is that identifying confirmation will become much more significant in terms of cybersecurity trends for 2021. Going forward, stealing an employee’s key card might provide access to the elevator, but access to corporate data won’t be granted without verifying the unique identity of the user first. This is good news for companies looking to enhance their cybersecurity measures but may be seen as invasive by the individuals who are required to comply.
5. Data Privacy Will Implode Without Enhanced Protection
Corporate data is beyond valuable, but it can’t remain locked up at all times – employees need access to data to complete their work, and the constant flow of digital traffic provides ample opportunity for hackers to breach through networks for financial gain. As more employees work from home, the weak spots expand and the risk of having data compromised is drastically increased.
Powerful encryption will be critical to the protection of corporate data moving forward, and that means utilizing the robust cybersecurity innovations of organizations such as Cyber Sainik. From internal sharing to intentional external leaks, data will need to be heavily encrypted and stored securely in the cloud to prevent unauthorized access by those with malicious intent.
Cyber Sainik Cybersecurity Innovations
There is nothing more important to your business than your data, and as the world of cyber hacking advances, proven protection is the only thing that matters. Our security as a service (SECaaS) offering protects your network and servers from attack with industry-leading encryption, intrusion detection & prevention, identity management, and more. In a world where you can find anything on the internet, Cyber Saink exists to ensure that that doesn’t include your organization’s data. Contact us today to discuss custom cybersecurity solutions for your business.
