WatchGuard 2024 Cybersecurity Predictions

Posted December 26, 2023

It’s time for the WatchGuard year-end security predictions! The predictions are always a fun way to end the year and ponder what security implications the new year might bring.

WatchGuard’s 2023 predictions were a fascinating mix of cybersecurity foresight, touching on increased security demands from insurers, the need for cybersecurity evaluation in business partnerships, potential Metaverse hacks, sophisticated attacks on MFA systems, robotaxi hacks, and AI tool vulnerabilities.

For 2024, they anticipate intriguing developments: exploitation of Large Language Models for data leaks, MSPs leveraging automated security platforms, a rise in AI-powered spear phishing tools, AI-based vishing, VR/MR headset vulnerabilities, and significant QR code hacks.

For a more detailed read, you can check the full predictions for 2023 and 2024.

1. Manipulation of Large Language Models (LLMs): This prediction involves the misuse of LLMs by prompt engineers to extract private data, a concerning development considering the widespread use of these models.

2. Rise in Managed Security Services: Managed Service Providers (MSPs) are expected to increasingly use automated platforms for security services, reflecting a shift in how cybersecurity is managed.

3. AI-powered Spear Phishing Tools: The dark web may see a surge in the sale of sophisticated spear phishing tools powered by AI, making targeted attacks more dangerous and harder to detect.

4. AI-based Vishing Attacks: These attacks involve the use of AI to create more believable and effective voice phishing campaigns, posing a significant threat to unwary individuals.

5. Exploitation of VR/MR Headsets: There’s an anticipation of VR/MR headsets being hacked to recreate and exploit user environments, a new frontier in cyber threats.

6. QR Code Hacks: A major cybersecurity incident is expected to arise from the misuse of QR codes, which have become ubiquitous in our daily transactions.

Kyle Vinar

Kyle Vinar is Partner / President of Verus Corporation. He oversees all business operations and coaches Verus teams to continually improve on their solutions from client experience to product development and overall solution implementation. He works with all Verus resources to increase efficiencies and excellence in every aspect of their organizational roles. Kyle believes that people are the last real competitive edge that a company can have and constructing a rich culture is a vital step in running a world-class organization. Therefore he strives to create a culture within Verus that allows everyone to show up authentically and grow both personally and professionally, which in turn allows Verus Corp team members to provide clients with top-of-the-line service. Kyle helps balance strategy, capacity, and culture in such a way that has allowed Verus Corp to achieve exponential growth since he joined the company in 2013. One of Kyle’s greatest professional achievements has been in helping lay the foundation upon which Verus Corporation could be named the 2nd Best Place to Work by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. Kyle holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from St. Cloud State University. He lives in Champlin with his wife and 3 children. He has enjoyed volunteering as a soccer coach for over 6 years and was the former Director of Coaching for Rebels Soccer Club. If Kyle isn’t on the sidelines of one of his children’s soccer games or in the audience of his eldest’s musicals, he can often be found cruising scenic routes on his Harley, in a deer stand, or on the golf course.