The Five Most Important Areas in the Future of Cybersecurity

Whether you’re looking to protect your company’s endpoints or want to learn about how the future of cybersecurity will impact your business, you’re in the right place. We’ve rounded up a list of five of the most important areas to watch in the cybersecurity landscape. You’ll also find a brief explanation of each area, along with some advice on how to keep your systems secure.

Ransomware

Throughout the past two years, ransomware has grown into the most prominent cyberthreat worldwide. Ransomware is malware that locks data on a computer or other online system. In order to unlock the data, the victim must pay a ransom.

The rise of ransomware has also increased the potential for malicious attacks against critical infrastructure. According to a recent report from Cybersecurity Ventures, the global ransomware market will reach $265 billion by 2031. This number is a staggering figure considering that the market is already open to garden-variety criminals.

In the United States, several highly disruptive ransomware attacks occurred in 2021. These attacks were directed at high-profile organizations and critical sectors.

The number of attempted ransomware attacks has skyrocketed. In the 9th edition of the ENISA Threat Landscape, 304.7 million attacks were estimated. This figure is an increase of over 43 percent over the 2020 report.

Machine learning

Using machine learning in cybersecurity can significantly boost the performance of your security team. In addition to enabling analysts to prioritize and scale response to incoming alerts, it can also help detect suspicious activity and predict malware attacks.

Although AI and machine learning are already being applied in other fields, the cybersecurity industry is still in its infancy. However, these technologies have the potential to become a standard protocol for defense against cyber attacks.

Typically, a machine learning model is comprised of complex “transfer functions”. These models can identify data patterns that may be of interest to an analyst, and can then be used to aid in an investigation.

The ability to explain how the model performs is important for driving accountability and ensuring compliance with data policies. The performance measures are usually time-related and measure the impact on detection rate.

Quantum computing

Earlier this year, the United States Department of Homeland Security formed a working group to help organizations prepare for quantum computing and cybersecurity. This group includes the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the White House. They are now tasked with developing a national strategy for quantum information science and technology.

This includes the development of a post-quantum cryptographic standard. The US Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology is currently selecting encryption algorithms for this post-quantum cryptographic standard. This will require a lot of work for many countries.

The US Department of Defense has also taken action on this topic. The National Defense Authorization Act of 2021 requires the Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop a plan to double quantum information science investments by 2022.

Endpoint security

During the last five years, endpoint security has developed rapidly. Despite advancements in antivirus and malware protection, many organizations are still feeling unprotected. In fact, in a recent survey by Tanium, 55% of security leaders believed that 75 percent of endpoint attacks will go undetected.

These trends have persuaded businesses to reconsider their posture. Companies are looking for solutions that are able to block persistent attackers and provide continuous detection. They want to be able to prevent sophisticated attacks in real-time. Often, enterprises are reluctant to make the necessary changes.

In the past, companies treated everyone on the network as trustworthy. However, the growth of working from home arrangements has led to an increase in the number of personal devices that are connected to the system. These devices are the perfect entry points for cybercriminals.

Cloud security

Using cloud security to protect your data is essential for your business continuity. Failure to do so can lead to severe consequences.

As security in the cloud becomes more popular, new technologies and innovations are emerging to address the latest threats. One of these is predictive security. This technology uses the cloud’s power to identify attacks other endpoint security solutions miss. This gives security teams a leg up when defending against attackers.

Another is access controls. This prevents unauthorized users from entering or viewing sensitive information. You can also use communications encryption to protect your data. The keys must be safely managed and change frequently.

Identity and access management covers authentication, authorization, and access privileges. These policies are important in preventing attacks against user accounts.