Cybersecurity has been a huge issue since the last two decades. Every coin has two sides and so did the Internet, as much as it was a boon to have access to this amazing piece of technology, it did come with its own set of curses. A lot of crimes started to form, like hacking, stalking, cyberbullying, debit card thefts, logic bombs, data theft, phishing, and many more such horrific things. This is exactly when the need for a Cybersecurity department arose. To bring it down to really textbook terms, cybersecurity is basically an array of methods and techniques employed to combat cyber crimes that have been discovered since the Internet took over the world. It can also be referred to as a method to protect networks, systems, and programs from any kind of digital attack or a cyber attack which involves stealing huge amounts of data and misusing it.
Cyber-attacks can induce threats on all levels, from national to personal. Some are aimed at destroying the data of an enemy country or for leaking out confidential data on a national level whereas on a personal level it may endeavor at extorting money by extracting the details of an individual. Thus in order to stay away from any such attacks and to prevent the misuse of data there arises a need for cybersecurity to protect the basic interests and rights of an individual. Let’s talk a little more about why we need cybersecurity so bad in our lives.
The Need for Cyber Security
With the advancement of technology and innovations, there has been a drastic rise in the activities of hackers as well. They have found out new ways of mining confidential data, and thus there is a need for a system that is able to incorporate security defending the cyber-attacks. The government of any country, medical, banking, and other corporate institutions are in possession of a lot of data. Be it their employees or their clients or the citizen data of a country, there are tons of precious data stored in computers and systems of millions of people. This data can carry a lot of sensitive information about an individual which should not be leaked in any case or may result in heavy losses on subjective terms or even international terms. Unauthorized access to an individual’s data can result in monetary losses and may have associated negative consequences. Many times there is a need for transmission of data in businesses, and thus there is always of a threat of cyber-attack in such cases. A data breach can cause a devastating effect on any company or individual. Therefore, it is mandatory to have rules and adequate security systems to prevent any such losses.
An effective cybersecurity system can be an answer to such threats which can provide aid in protecting the systems from losing any confidential data. The cybersecurity system should make use of the latest technologies and should prevent the system from any unauthorized access.
Top predictions for 2019
Cybersecurity was the talk of the town in 2018 because it had seen some major cyber-attacks along with crypto-jacking and other associated cybercrimes. Emails still occupy a top place for being able to deliver malicious payloads and data breaches have been something that is continuing all through these years. Cyber-attacks have been prominent in the last year, and thus many people have tried to figure out the things and measures that will be taken in the year 2019 by the team to be prepared to face any more potential threats. What will happen next is a clause that we will be able to see with the commencement of the year but here are a few predictions for 2019 that we are more likely to see:
A decline in the number of cloud providers
There has been a continued escalation in the number of threats taking place, while there also is a rise in its sophistication. Thus, it is believed that people will tend to part ways with a cloud infrastructure to search on some latest technologies to safeguard against the new threats that are taking place. This is undoubtedly going to cut back the number of cloud service providers existing in the market.
Internet access will be limited
With the increase in the cybercrime rate last year, there are chances that there will be stricter internet across the globe. In 2019 there will be rules for usage of internet and rules will be implemented for blocking of sites and services divided on a geographical aspect. Blocking sites makes sense on some level, however, how will minimizing the time people use the internet help decrease cyber crimes is something which is beyond me. But that’s how the prediction looks like so far.
A threat to the banking sector
In 2019, the banking sector will be the target. Innocent people falling into the traps of fraudsters asking for your account information has been quite a trend this last year. With the advancement of cyber threats, hackers and cybercriminals are more prone to steal money from banks making use of phishing and other cybercrime techniques. Hackers have tried out their hand in stealing millions of dollars from banks, and they are going to continue with the same in the coming year.
Tougher rules and Regulations
In 2019 there are chances for you to witness compliance with stricter rules. Government is taking all measures possible to protect the sensitive data of citizens and thus there arises a need for stringent legislation for the same. There are going to be strict rules and punishments to decrease the rate of cyber crimes that are taking place. Privacy laws will be imposed, and a heavy penalty will be charged on any kind of rules violation.
Cybersecurity as a career
2019 is sure to witness more and more number of people aiming for a career in the cybersecurity department. There are going to be quite a few numbers of cybersecurity training centers emerging in the near future and imparting of knowledge and education to the youth of the world.
Implementation of high authentication
Till now many websites and online services provide access only with the password. But in the year 2019, you are more likely to see high authentication requirements. Online services are prone to abandon password access and implement other optional security options for multi-authentication. This will lower down the phishing attacks and will safeguard the personal data of the users.
Heavy penalties for data breaches
We are likely to witness heavy penalties being imposed on all the platforms who attempt any kind of data breach. May it be Facebook or Google; these big companies are going to face a heavy financial loss if they fail to secure the personal data. The penalties can reach up to billions of dollars if they fail to maintain the privacy needs of an individual.
The revelation of cyber weapons
Many countries have been investing in cyber weapons for long now, and many have been using them as well against other countries in a secret fashion. But in 2019 there are chances that the governments will openly reveal their cyber weapons and their capability to establish deterrence in the future. The revelation will start taking place in order to warn other countries from nit using any such cybercrime methods and techniques to harm the social and political aspects of a country.
Top trends of Cyber Security
Cybersecurity in today’s world has become a need and is becoming prevalent over the years. But still, the cybersecurity professionals have a long way to go to implement the right cybersecurity methods and strategies. As the world is taking a turn towards the technological era, threats are also increasing with the same phase. Thus there is a need for employment of more and more cybersecurity professionals who can shoulder the task of matching up today’s requirements. With the progression of years, we will come to know what cyber security has in its kitty in the year 2019. It is necessary for the professionals to be well acquainted with the latest technologies in this field to meet the requirements of the current scenario. So here are a few things that you can expect to take place in the year 2019:
Complete inventory
According to a survey it was found that approximately 97% of professionals agreed that a cyber-attack caused due to insecure devices could prove to be a catastrophic affair. Thus a proactive approach needs to be taken to this sort of vulnerability. In 2019 it is expected that companies are going to follow the NIST trend to establish real-time inventories for all type of connected devices. May it be through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi; these devices are going to practice NIST.
Mobile devices are also a threat
Mobile devices have been growing all through these years and have become a threat to cybersecurity. With the increase of mobile devices, the monitoring task needs to be done with more flair to prevent any such crime that can take place through such devices. 84% of people during a survey responded that the growth of such devices have made things more complicated and thus it is becoming a tough job for the professionals to provide cybersecurity solutions.
Security assessment
It is believed that the companies that provide cybersecurity awareness, audit reports, etc. are going to increase by the year 2019. There are chances of seeing topics such as security risks, cybersecurity standards, security risks growing up in the near future.
Data privacy regulations
In 2019 you are prone to see more data privacy methods being practiced by the companies. With the implementation of General data protection Regulations that came into effect in the year 2018, may US requirements will creep up. Thus things are supposed to be in the pipeline for increased data privacy.
Cyberwarfare
There are chances of more attacks on the individual as well as the critical infrastructure. It is believed that until PII losses are brought under control, data is supposed to be used for targeted attacks in opposition to the individuals.
Crypto jacking
Crypto jacking may be a new term for many readers reading this article. So let us understand what is Crypto jacking first. Crypto jacking is basically the method of mining virtual coins adopted by the cybercriminals making use of computing sources. In the previous years, there has been tremendous growth in these type of attacks taking place, and it is believed that crypto jacking is a more serious affair in comparison to a ransomware attack. Thus there are chances of employing more security professionals and other types of measures to prevent such attacks from taking place.
Automation of cybersecurity
It is said that companies will employ professional staff in data privacy and security automation sector. With the passage of years, it is believed that networks are going to expand and artificial intelligence and automation may take a top notch. It will play a vital role in contrast to cybersecurity needs.
According to research, it is believed that approximately 33% of people believe that enterprises will opt for cybersecurity automation in the year 2019 whereas 13% believe very minimal efforts will be taken for the same. Obviously there is an increasing need for cybersecurity automation, but still, there is a long time to go for all the companies to adopt cybersecurity automation.
The crisis of security talent
With the advancement of years, talent crisis has been a significant issue in the field of cybersecurity over the years. We have witnessed a lot many cybercrimes taking place in the previous years but yet there is a pothole in achieving a workforce who can be treated as security professionals. The demand for security professionals is increasing day by day due to the cybercrimes increasing day by day, but the world hasn’t seen an increase in the rate of security professionals that can match up the demands.
Cybersecurity was not a topmost consideration for businesses in the early years but it has evolved a lot in the past few decades. It has become a topic of concern due to the inflated rate of cybercrimes taking place. The IT sector of any business is thus loaded with the responsibility of minimizing such attacks and securing data to its best. Nowadays cyber security is being practiced in almost all firms and is gaining popularity as a defensive method to stop cybercrimes and phishing of data. Latest technologies and strategies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence are being adopted to fight such attacks. But again like I said earlier hackers are becoming smarter, and they are also developing new methods of committing cyber crimes thus maintaining cyber security at all times and making sure it is progressing with time is a challenge and needs to traverse in a direction parallel to the advancement of technology
Therefore, it is clear that 2019 is going to be quite an exciting year for watching out for new trends in cybersecurity and hopefully a heavy decrease in the rate of cyber crimes taking place. Ranging from the decline of cloud storage to increment in appointing security professionals, this year is going to witness a lot of changes. It is not just a financial issue anymore, it has become an emotional issue for many. And the word ‘Privacy’ is losing its value. So the cybersecurity department really needs to buckle up and act as a strong shield to protect the interests of the people. All we can do right now is wait and watch and make these hopeful predictions through our blog. So what are your thoughts on Cybersecurity? Do let us know!
