While 2022 holds promise for a better future through advancements in technology, new cyber risks will come along with it. We must move forward with a positive mindset, while not forgetting past mistakes. Originally published in Forbes, 2022 Cyber Realities builds on Ntirety CEO Emil Sayegh’s Predicting What 2022 Holds For Cybersecurity piece published prior.
Looking to the Future
In addition, to my top ten predictions posted on January 6th, here are a few more:
- Ransomware Will Continue to Evolve
Ransomware, which is malware that encrypts a user’s data and demands a ransom payment to unlock it, is one of the most rapidly evolving cyber threats. Ransomware attacks continue to cost businesses billions, a trend that is expected to continue and attacks that ask for larger ransom amounts. This is a market, and incentive will drive innovations and evolution in an already rapidly changing and challenging arena of cat and mouse.
- Blockchain Technology Will Be Used for More Security, Finally
Blockchain technology is often associated with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, but it can actually be used for so much more. Companies are already using blockchain to secure business data, improve cybersecurity, and protect user privacy. In 2022, many businesses will have moved their operations to the cloud – instead of having physical servers on-site – making protections from cyberattacks a priority. Blockchain technology can help to secure these cloud-based operations by creating a tamper-proof record of all transactions.
- Employees Will Be a Major Source of Cybersecurity Threats
Employees are often the weakest link in a company’s cybersecurity defenses. They can be tricked into opening emails that contain malware, clicking on links that lead to phishing scams, and using unsecured Wi-Fi networks. In 2022, businesses will need to focus more on employee training and awareness to protect themselves from these types of attacks.
As cyberattacks become more sophisticated, businesses will also look to AI, machine learning, and monitoring services to help them detect and respond to these insider-based threats.
- Will the Password Become Obsolete?
Even though new technologies that can replace passwords are emerging, they won’t be very popular by 2022. These technologies include fingerprint scanners, eye scanners, and facial recognition. They are not very user-friendly and can be easily hacked.
As a result, 2022 will still see the use of passwords for the foreseeable future. However, organizations should start to move away from using passwords and towards using two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication is a more secure way of logging in that requires users to input a password as well as a randomly generated code that is sent to their mobile device. This will make it much more difficult for hackers to gain access to your account. It’s a step in the right direction as passwords are extremely fallible.
- Governments Will Finally Realize How Much They’ve Lost Due to Lax Cybersecurity
State and regional governments have been slow to adopt new security measures because they have been underestimating the power of cybercrime. They think that their current policies are enough to protect them from attacks. But as more and more breaches happen, it becomes clear that this is not the case. In 2022, governments will finally realize how much they’ve lost due to lax cybersecurity and they will start to take action. They will allocate more resources to improving their security infrastructure and they will also work with businesses to ensure better protection of their data.
- The use of AI for Cybersecurity Purposes Will Increase Exponentially
As mentioned earlier, the use of AI is going to increase exponentially in the next few years. This will be especially true for cybersecurity purposes. Cybersecurity companies will escalate the use of AI-based tools to detect and prevent cyberattacks. These tools will be able to analyze data at a much faster pace than humans and they will also be able to identify new threats that wouldn’t have been seen before.
Looking forward to 2022, we must fully incorporate and reflect on the key cybersecurity events of the year behind us. There are valuable lessons, a bit of dirty laundry to clean still, and a challenge that should always be at the forefront of our operations.
Check out this piece, originally published in Forbes, here and follow me on LinkedIn.
