New Trends In Cyber Security (Part 1)

According to Verizon’s 2019 Data Breach Investigations Report, hacking was involved in 52% of all data breaches and typically gaining access through web applications or backdoors. Social attacks and malware were the second and third most common tactics utilized while physical actions were found in only 4% of all data breaches.

The Verizon report reveals where the majority of cyberattacks are focused today but we also see some new trends in attacks that we expect to become more prominent in the near future. So get your cybersecurity hat on and let’s see what new and growing trends the future has in store for us.

Ransomware

The Verizon report found that ransomware was involved in 24% of security incidents. Ransomware is malware that blocks access to your data until a ransom payment is made. Due to the ease of implementing a ransomware attack and the lucrative payouts collected by the attackers, there has been a dramatic increase in ransomware cases and we expect this trend to continue. An IBM study reports that 25% of executives are willing to pay out between $20,000 to $50,000 to regain access to encrypted data — it’s no wonder ransomware has become a favorite amongst criminals.

Mobile

Our mobile devices are an essential component of our personal and work lives. Unfortunately, this also means those same devices collect, transmit and store vast amounts of data on our behaviors. Under the allure of productivity and ease-of-use, we often place far too much trust in the security of our mobile companions. According to an IBM study, users are three times more likely to fall victim to a phishing attack on their mobile device. An even greater security threat presented by these devices is data leakage through installed apps that take our trust for granted. We can be far too quick to grant any permissions an application requests simply so we can move on with the task at hand. These devices also magically hop from network to network often jumping onto memorized unsecured WiFi networks without a second thought from the user. Through BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies, these mobile spies are omnipresent throughout every office, they are often a neglected endpoints in our protection and a growing security risk.

Cloud

The cloud provides access to our data and software seamlessly from anywhere in the connected world. The cloud has penetrated nearly every business with 60% of workloads running on the cloud across 90% of all businesses. The trend has been fueled by the world’s largest and fastest-growing companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet (Google) and IBM. Along with this staggering growth, the cloud has opened up new aspects to securing our data. For all of its ease of access, the cloud also presents reduced visibility and control of our data and can simplify unauthorized access for bad actors. Credentials can be stolen, cloud management APIs can be compromised and data deletion may not even be complete leaving traces of your data scattered throughout the cloud as you move between vendors.

This is part 1 in our series on new and growing trends in cyber security. Check back next week as we round out the list of trends and start to look at solutions.