Biggest Cybersecurity Threat Trends for 2023

Cyberattacks are becoming a real menace across the globe. With every passing year, cyber crime is continually assuming alarming proportions and is transmuting its form rapidly—from social media hacks and ransomware to a total crypto-warfare. As such, a powerful cybersecurity system is the need of the hour that can shield the interests of both businesses and normal residents and make them feel secure in this everlasting unsecure environment.

The biggest cybersecurity trends to watch in 2023 are discussed below:

Workforce

First and foremost, a critical trend in the area of cybersecurity is the need to hire more workers to cater to the global demand in this ever-growing industry. It should, however, be noted that the cybersecurity workforce is at its highest level if we compare the statistics with the previous years. Still, there is a growing demand for skilled staff or people—as they call it. Therefore, Allen advises that it is necessary that the companies retain such staff and listen to their needs as their own, as the top talent will face no dearth of job opportunities and can choose the companies they want to work for.

Skilled individuals may therefore make all the difference in strengthening cyber defences because, despite the fact that AI and Machine Learning (ML) are colossal in cybersecurity, the fact that they are also the instruments of attackers cannot be disregarded. The advisory paper claims that building a team of highly trained individuals is an ideal way to facilitate internal growth and development.

Ransomware / Extortion 

In 2022, extortion and ransomware posed significant concerns, and it now looks that the latter is intensifying. Extortion is simply ransomware that is devoid of any encryption, thereby making it quicker and easier for attackers to extract money in exchange for the victim’s personal information. A report by the NCSC describes ransomware as the “greatest severe danger” to cybersecurity in the UK. To minimise these cyberattacks, Allen justifies the need for an “organised and consistent approach.” In light of this evolving threat, cybersecurity must be strengthened by implementing a “maturity strategy.” This planning includes employee training as well as audits of corporate governance, email security, and backups to guarantee data confidentiality.

AI and ML as Pressure Reducers

It is normal to get cautionary advice against relying on AI heavily, with teams that lack the necessary experience in this area, especially in times when cyberdefence is a key issue for most companies. Likewise, it is also worthy to note that artificial intelligence and machine learning have significant advantages and can act as pressure reducers by quickly analysing large amounts of data. This, in turn, makes it possible to quickly and accurately identify dangers. Thus, businesses will be able to grow their skills as they age, even if they are unable to do so with their workforce. This is all made possible with AI and ML technology.

Expansion of IoT

Although IoT technology is becoming more widespread than ever before, the biggest difficulty with respect to its application is the fact that it has stringent security requirements. Even with the current efforts, the vulnerabilities of IoT technology are only getting worse as the technology is adopted more widely. What’s more, if software is not developed well and the design parameters are inadequate, networks may become exposed to attack. Consequently, the lack of physical hardening and insecure data transit and storage have made a rising number of IoT devices attractive targets for cybercriminals.

Today, it’s easy to find many IoT devices that are extremely inexpensive. But, affordability here may mean that there is no proper control or tracking, thereby making it possible for a malware to break into devices that are devoid of any built-in security features. 

Wrapping Up

The development of ransomware, the exploitation of IoT devices, followed by an increase in AI-powered attacks are among the predicted and existing developments in the possible cybersecurity threat for 2023. People and organisations have no choice but to become more informed and proactive in securing their online presence as technology continues to develop at a rate of knots. But, what can we do to keep ourselves safe? A simple answer to this is that we start putting strong security measures in place, such as updating software frequently and using secure passwords. At the same time, we should be more careful to potential threats and learn safe online behaviours.