Cyber security is a major concern for most businesses as they are often the target of cyber attacks—not to mention that new threats are always on the horizon. Because this is the case, it’s important for business owners to stay on top of the latest trends in the cyber security news cycle.
So what does the current state of the security landscape look like and what trends can we expect to see in the upcoming year?
The Current State of Cyber Security and Looking Forward to 2020
Currently, the outlook on the cyber security front looks positive. Despite the increasing frequency of attacks from year to year, a growing number of businesses are recognizing the importance of shoring up their defense against threats.
In turn, they’re investing in solutions that target some of the biggest challenges facing cyber security this year, including:
- Mobile device vulnerabilities
- Implementation of new regulations
- Multifactor authentication
- Ransomware attacks against government entities
- Cyber security automation
These challenges can differ depending on an organization’s priorities, but in general, 2019’s trends relate to the type of attack, method of prevention, and industries being targeted. We can use this insight—along with emerging issues from the past 12 months—as clues to help us anticipate trends for the coming year. Based on our observations, these are some of the network security challenges you can expect to see in 2020.
Cybersecurity Budgets Will Continue to Increase
Lately we’ve been seeing an influx in efforts to spread security awareness across organizations in a variety of industries. This newfound awareness has encouraged many businesses to invest heavily in security-related hardware, software, and managed services. In fact, according to IDC, spending on security solutions could reach $103.1 billion this year and is expected to continue to grow for the next several years.
The Security Professional Crisis Will Get Worse
This has been a recurring issue for the last couple of years. For the cyber security industry, the talent pool is only so deep. There aren’t enough security professionals to handle the increasing number of cyber crimes being committed every year. Simply put, the workload is so great that the supply can’t keep up with demand. The gap is only expected to widen between now and 2020.
Increased Reliance on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have played a pivotal role in preventing data breaches for businesses by strengthening their security measures. They have been used to help companies discover vulnerabilities in their network and detect cyber attacks within seconds—and they can work around the clock. Dependence on these systems will likely increase in the next year.
Cybercriminals Will Exploit AI to Aid in Assaults
There are many benefits that come with the use of AI, but it also comes with a few risks. Like any other computer system, AI is susceptible to malicious attacks. Once an AI system is compromised, the hacker can use the AI to enhance their own criminal activity.
There will be More Data Privacy and Regulation
The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was introduced in the middle of 2018. It was created to ensure better data security protections for consumers. These cyber security regulations affect any local or international organization that does business with individuals within the EU. Companies that fail to comply with said regulations are subject to strict penalties.
This legislation has proven to be a catalyst for other countries to look into their own consumer privacy policies. Canada has already implemented its own GDPR-like legislation, and the U.S. is expected to follow suit in the not-too-distant future. It’s highly likely that we will see an uptick in legislative and regulatory actions in 2020.
Deployment of 5G Will Create Vulnerabilities
Although it will take some time before 5G is fully deployed, 5G networks and 5G capable devices have been slowly rolled out in certain areas. The new network infrastructure will offer a plethora of benefits, such as more bandwidth and increased speed, but it may also open up new vulnerabilities in our devices.
Choose Stability Networks for Your Security Needs
At Stability Networks, we take data protection seriously. That’s why we offer a suite of services that can be customized to your business needs. To learn more about how we can keep you protected from cyber threats, contact us today!
