Two cybersecurity predictions to help businesses in 2018

Preparation always requires a certain amount of time and research if you’re going to get it right; and the same goes for your cybersecurity as you get ready for another year of new and evolving cyberthreats.  Predictions of what you can expect is one way to get started with that preparation phase and get ahead of your risks before they get the best of you.

Let’s start with ransomware: The threat and its evolution in 2018.  This year businesses saw a rise in ransomware attacks, which means cybercriminals are already looking for ways to change up the threat and bring about a ransomware evolution so that they may continue using this measure to get within networks and obtain the data or goal they’re aiming for with the attack.

• This means a business could face a typical ransomware attack, where they need to pay money to get their data back or they could face something new; something that looks like ransomware, but that instead destroys complete networks, data and service capabilities like wiper malware.

An evolving ransomware threat could mean you won’t get your data stolen, but instead you’ll get completely locked out of your system.  Not to mention the fact that cybercriminals continue coming up with ways to get malware within your systems.

• So, while phishing emails with attachments have been discussed a lot, there are also now phishing emails with link within the email that lead to the malware getting into your organization’s network.

This means that employee cybersecurity training for phishing emails and other cyberthreats must be continuous to stay on track with the latest vulnerabilities, as well as maintain efficacy with security for the evolving threats.

Another prediction for the new year is the persistent challenge businesses face with onboarding the necessary cybersecurity expertise.

• For the past couple years there’s been talk around the cybersecurity skills shortage.  The shortage is due to there not being enough security professionals to go around; but also, because of the responsibility that comes with being a CIO or CISO, which is not worth it when it becomes clear that the security pro will have to accept responsibility, but will be limited in the resources available to them and won’t necessarily have a voice in the boardroom.

To solve the problem organizations must look for holistic cybersecurity partners to fill the expertise gap, while ensuring they set an adequate budget aside for the security team they have at hand.  Businesses must also acknowledge that to stay secure they will have to go beyond compliance requirements such as HIPAA for hospitals and healthcare providers and/or PCI compliance for financial institutions like banks and credit card companies.

If you’re looking to get ready for the new year and avoid being hit by unexpected cybersecurity incidents give us a call!

And if you simply need to consult with a security expert to get a better idea of where you stand with your risk management, we offer a free 15-minute consultation.  Schedule yours today!

Photo courtesy of pathdoc