Top 6 Must Know Cybersecurity Trends For 2023
Organizations still struggle to figure out how to prevent eventually becoming a statistic of an assault, be it from data breaches, phishing, or ransomware.
Whether it’s the never-ending list of compliance needs to meet or the growing amount of corporate data being created, an organization’s cybersecurity responsibilities appear to increase year after year.
Keeping up with the newest cybersecurity trends is the easiest method to ensure your organization’s defensive plan is up to date. As we anticipate 2023, a number of new trends indicate areas of particular importance that companies should emphasize on.
1. Increased Effectiveness of Phishing
Phishing attempts are the most prevalent security issue plaguing the IT sector, with many individuals still succumbing for phishing emails. Cybercriminals employ tactics to trick people into thinking they are authorized senders in order to gain their account information, initiate fraudulent payments, or trick them into accessing unsafe websites.
- In communications that claim to be from service providers like banks, phishing emails commonly notify recipients that they have a critical issue that has to be handled immediately.
- Bait attacks are one technique attackers employ to test email addresses and see how recipients would respond.
- Hackers are employing more complex tactics to create well-executed business email compromise attacks (BEC) as well as malicious URLs.
Employees who have received cybersecurity awareness training are better informed about the risks they encounter, which lowers the organization’s cyber risk and enhances the likelihood that their data will remain secure. Make sure staff members are aware of potential attack indicators and the repercussions of disregarding cybersecurity best practices.
2. Supply Chain Attacks
This year, at least 62% of firms globally were subjected to a supply chain assault. A supply chain assault happens when a vendor’s products, services, or technology are compromised, posing a risk to the customer base. This might take the shape of a supplier’s email account being fraudulently exploited for social engineering, or to increase the risk of malware infection. More sophisticated attacks can exploit privileged access to a supplier’s network to infiltrate the target network and cause widespread damage.
While high-profile assaults have increased firms’ awareness and vigilance, hackers are armed with increasingly complex tools and strategies to circumvent security safeguards and best practices.
To combat this issue, enterprises of all sizes must complete risk assessments that include all third-party software or firmware vulnerabilities.
3. Zero Trust Implementation
Zero trust security is the process of eliminating points of vulnerability by limiting network access for users, as well as adopting extensive identity verification so that they only have access to the data and systems relevant to their position.
Zero Trust will protect businesses from cyber-attacks using identity-centric business and architectural security solutions. The basic practices’ of an effective zero trust network include identity and access management, endpoint protection, network security through micro segmentation, and threat protection to assist avoid security threats and assaults. Zero Trust is a powerful method for reducing data loss and preventing data breaches, allowing business users to safely connect with any application from any device in any location.
“The actual application of zero-trust technology within corporate infrastructure has been limited, my prediction for 2023 is that we will finally see zero trust concepts implemented widely within the corporate IT environment.” Ashley Leonard, CEO, Syxsense.
4. Increased Risk of IoT Infrastructure
Internet of things (IoT) risks occur when attackers search devices for vulnerabilities and attempt to connect over non-standard ports. The IoT sector has been steadily developing over the previous decade, and this trend is expected to continue into next year, increasing cyber risk for businesses.
- The attack surface in a basic network structure is limited to the common access points to enterprise systems, however in an IoT network, the attack surface expands, resulting in a greater number of vulnerabilities.
- The Internet of medical things (IoMT), often known as IoT in healthcare, is made up of devices that can communicate with IT systems in healthcare organizations. Sensor-based or remote patient monitoring equipment, such as wearables, can be misused.
The growing adoption of these devices among patients creates a plethora of vulnerabilities and entry points for hackers to obtain access to patient data. As a result, monitoring these endpoints around the clock should be a top responsibility for all enterprises.
5. Increase in Professionalized Cybercrime
RaaS is a kind of pay-for-use software that enables online criminals to buy pre-made ransomware tools in order to launch widespread ransomware assaults. RaaS functions like an affiliate program, giving the tool’s developers a cut of each successful ransom payment. The RaaS business model will continue to fuel the threat landscape in 2023 since this makes it possible for cybercriminals to launch a ransomware assault with even the most basic technological knowledge.
The reappearance of malware variants such as Emotet, Conti, and Trickbot shows an increase in cybercrime for hire. The rise of unprepared cybercriminals, in particular, is allowing criminals with less technical knowledge to generate money, either by embezzling a ransom for decryption keys or distributing stolen data on the dark web or to a victim’s rivals.
Patching and upgrading software on a regular basis, as well as shutting down network access using multifactor authentication (MFA) and privileged access management (PAM) solutions, are critical security methods.
6. User Awareness Investment
User awareness remains the most important area in which firms must continue to invest. Theft of credentials to gain access is the most serious hazard to companies. Bad actors take advantage of credential management failures to obtain access to accounts and data. Identity lifecycle management must be improved to avoid these sorts of breaches.
Users have traditionally been a weak link in IT security, with a tendency for reading infected email attachments, clicking dangerous links, and engaging in other risky activity. Rapid advances in social engineering and simple deep fake technologies now allow attackers to dupe more users into falling for their schemes. Identity lifecycle management must be improved to avoid these sorts of breaches.
It is critical to remember that the majority of data breaches still involve human error, demonstrating that traditional techniques of security awareness training are still insufficient. With the proper resources, contemporary firms must shift away from traditional compliance-based awareness campaigns and toward holistic behavior and cultural change projects that promote safer working practices.
Conclusion
Organizations must always remain one step ahead of attackers in order to avoid cyberattacks. This entails being aware of any vulnerabilities and flaws in your IT infrastructure so that you may address them before attackers find vulnerabilities.
How you prepare for some of these developments might be the difference between a secure working environment and another data breach statistic. Although 2022 is not yet complete, it is critical to begin planning for your 2023 strategy and how your firm may strengthen security without breaking the budget.