Huge technological advancements have been seen in all areas of IT support and technology in recent years, with cybersecurity being one such area. Businesses are now faced with keeping pace with these developments to help safeguard their businesses’ assets.
Here are six emerging trends for 2024 that your business and employees should be aware of.
1. AI Sophistication
Although there are concerns surrounding AI, with 55.9% thinking GenAI will be more advantageous to attackers (World Economic Forum, Global Security Outlook 2024), AI can be an extremely powerful defence tool. Its ability to analyse data, recognise anomalies and identify patterns at enhanced speeds will be essential to detecting and neutralising threats earlier and anticipating future threats. With Machine Learning’s (ML) ability to learn from data and models to generate new data, it is predicted to autonomously update cybersecurity protocols, reducing reliance on manual updates.
However, it is expected that cybercriminals will utilise GenAI to automate their attacks, create more sophisticated and convincing material, including deepfakes, and use its speed and data analysis to identify weaknesses in their target’s systems. So, we must capitalise on AI’s benefits before cyber threats use it for their own agendas.
2. Rise of Quantum Computing
Quantum Computing has previously been niche but will soon revolutionise data processing and problem solving. Due to quantum superposition, where data can exist in multiple states simultaneously, it can process vast amounts of data beyond a regular supercomputer. It has immense power to enhance encryption, develop sophisticated algorithms and manage large scale datasets, strengthening cyber security.
However, when in the wrong hands, its ability to quickly break traditional encryption methods is a severe threat. Therefore, installing quantum security is fast becoming a necessity. This is especially true with ‘harvest now, decrypt later’ models in place, where cyber criminals collect and store data, waiting for future technologies to have the processing power to decrypt it.
IoT Connectivity
The Internet of Things (IoT) continues to benefit our lives through increasing efficiency and sustainability. However, its connected infrastructure does make it a target for cyber-attacks. This is especially the case when connected devices have insufficient security, allowing them to be easily compromised.
As the IoT becomes more integral and widespread, manufacturers must prioritise security with standardised protocols, universal encryption, and mandatory security certification.
Zero Trust Security
Zero Trust Architecture is forecast for widespread adoption, where all internal and external parties must be verified before gaining access. It follows the structure of ‘never trust, always verify’. It assumes threats could be inside or outside a network, requesting all users to be verified, regardless of location or network.
It imposes rigorous identity verification and strict access controls, and is not only beneficial for our current working environment, offering secure flexibility throughout our increased dependency on cloud services and remote working, but also reduces the risk of an insider threat and limits their lateral movements within a network.
Third Party Security
Gartner predicts supply chain attacks to continue. To confirm this, World Economic Forum states “41% of organisations that suffered a material impact from a cyberattack said it originated from a third party.” Going deeper, they state “54% of organisations have insufficient visibility into the vulnerabilities of their supply chain”. Because of this, companies need to be proactive, taking time to discover their weaknesses and put strict security measures in place for their vendors.
As quoted in Digit: “Gartner recommends security leaders enhance risk management of third-party services and establish mutually beneficial relationships with important external partners, to ensure their most valuable assets are continuously safeguarded.”
Human Risk
There’s a severe lack of knowledge on how to defend ourselves against cybercriminals, especially with ever-evolving techniques and technologies. As the World Economic Forum states: “In 2023, 12% of leaders reported that they were missing the skills and people they needed to respond to a cyber incident.”
As well as experts in this field, there needs to be increased education and behavioural change with regular team members. The vast majority of companies would benefit from investing in cyber security training for their team to ensure their data remains safe and secure, and that the operational risk is minimised.
Get personalised Cyber Security Services & Training for Your Business With QiC
Offering robust cyber security services and protection, as well as cyber security training, our QiC IT experts will provide friendly guidance to help your business prevent cyber attacks before they occur. For a free quote or to arrange a visit from one of our consultants, call us on 01962 711000, send an email to sales@qicsystems.com or complete our contact form and a member of our team will be in touch.