Top 10 Cybersecurity Trends 2021

Cybersecurity is a fast-growing field where both black hat hackers and security providers compete to outsmart one another. 95% of cybersecurity breaches are caused due to human error. What are the cybersecurity challenges faced by large organizations and SMEs and how do they encounter them successfully? In this blog, we would be exploring the latest trends in cyber security 2021 to watch out for.

1. Cybersecurity Trends 2021: Rise of Automotive Hacking

Imagine a hacker stealing control of your vehicle remotely😢! Yes, it is possible as hackers have taken it to another level. The future of the automotive industry is bright, however, there is a stumbling block which it needs to kick out – Cyber attacks. The automotive vehicles make use of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi technology for better communication and operation which opens doors for hackers. Hacking a vehicle automatically reveals the owner’s trip data and other personal credentials which he might want to keep private.

In 2020, the number of automotive hacking cases increased around 138%, and is also believed that in the coming years we can witness a 99% increase in such incidents. There are some ways of protecting vehicles against hacking such as –

• Updating the car’s software
• Restrict use of wireless systems
• Turn off GPS
• Use VPN

2. Cybersecurity Trends 2021: The Internet of Things (IoT) evolving

The evolution of the Internet of Things (IoT) is creating doors for cybercrime. The Internet of Things are the devices that are connected to the internet and share data. Instances of IoT devices are – smartwatches, voice assistants like Amazon Echo and Google Home. Moreover, it is believed that there will be around 64 billion IoT devices installed by 2026. Work from home is also driving it even faster.

An increase in the number of IoT devices gives opportunities to hackers by expanding the cyberattack surface. IoT devices have less processing as well as storage capability and that makes it challenging to install firewalls, antivirus, and other security applications to shield them.

Also Read – Hire Top 5% Cyber Security Experts Your IT Team Needs

3. Cybersecurity Trends 2021: Cloud – A Potential vulnerable

Adoption of remote working after the pandemic has expanded the need for cloud-based administrations. There are several benefits of Cloud services – adaptability, effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and much more. However, they have become the primary target of hackers. Misconfigured cloud settings are a critical reason for data leakage, unauthorized access, and account hacking. The average expense of an information break is around $3.86 million, therefore, organizations need to take stringent steps towards cloud data protection.

Besides data breaches, organizations facing cloud security challenges include –

• To ensure regulatory compliance across jurisdictions
• Giving adequate IT expertise to deal with the cloud computing demands
• Cloud migrations issues
• Insider dangers – some unintentional, some deliberate – brought about by misuse of personal devices, unapproved remote access, unsecured network, weak passwords.

4. Cybersecurity Trends 2021: Social Engineering Attacks

Social engineering attacks refer to the broad range of malicious activities used to trick users and make security mistakes or sharing away critical information. These activities usually take place in one or more steps. The attacker first gathers all the backend data such as weak security protocols or potential entry points and then gains the victim’s trust. These types of attacks are more dangerous because they rely on a human error which is difficult to predict identify.

Some common social engineering techniques are –

Baiting – These attacks trick a victim’s greed or curiosity through an unrealistic promise. As a result, the victim picks up the bait out of curiosity that causing an automatic malware installation on the device.
Scareware – It involves practices where false alarms are bombarded on users’ screens. For eg – you must have seen on your system some similar text like this – “Protect your computer from harmful spyware attacks, install the tool”. If the user clicks on it, the attackers’ goal is achieved.
Phishing – It is the most common social media attack we have been facing. In this case, attackers send an email or text message that induces a sense of curiosity in the victim’s mind. As a result, the victim ends up clicking on the link or opening the attachments containing malware. For eg. – You must have heard of a fraud email elaborating about new policies and services which requires an immediate call to action such as passwords or bank credentials etc.

5. Cybersecurity Trends 2021: Remote Working Cybersecurity Risks

Though WFH has several advantages yet it poses new cybersecurity risks on businesses. Remote work has become one of the most talked-about trends in cybersecurity. It’s difficult to create and secure work environment like a centralized office at home. In offices, there is an IT team looking after the operational and traditional security of the business by installing more firewalls, routers, and other advanced tools.

So, the biggest trend in cybersecurity is to focus on the security risks of a distributed workforce. It involves detecting, monitoring, and eradicating security vulnerabilities by implementing security controls. Most businesses have migrated to the cloud, find out what are cloud computing security challenges and how to overcome them.

6. Cyber Security Trends: Insider Threats

Businesses should equally work on inside and outside threats. With insider threats, we mean the security risks imposed by any individual associated with the organization including the employees, contractors, or business partners. Chances are there that these individuals may misuse the networks and assets to leak or delete confidential data. Some of the insider threat examples include –

The current employees misuse their credentials and share confidential data to get extra income. As per Gartner, these types of activities account for around 62% of insider threats. Not only current employees, but it is also very important to invalidate the credentials of ex-employees so that they can’t participate in any of such activities. Also, make sure that each and every employee is attending the security programs without fail. What are the best ways to minimize insider threats?

• Train your staff on basic security awareness regularly
• Commission a simulated phishing assessment
• Implementing penetration testing annually will help you find out security improvements
• Perform a 24/7 network and endpoint monitoring to trace abnormal activities/behavior

7. Cyber Security Trends: Mobile Cybersecurity

For telecommuters, it’s normal to keep switching from laptops, tablets, smartphones, and other computing devices as per their comfort, using public wi-fi networks. As a result, mobile threats are continuously evolving and creating potential security vulnerabilities. The progressing rollout of 5G innovation has added up to the potential security weaknesses which should be fixed. Mobile threats include –

• Attackers taking advantage of basic security weaknesses within Android devices.
• Particular spyware intended to track encrypted messaging applications.
• Mobile malware with several application scenarios ranging from Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) assaults to SMS spam and data theft.

Mobile cybersecurity is a wide subject that encompasses different components, for example, back-end/cloud security, network security, and an ever-increasing number of connected objects (i.e., the Internet of Things), like wearables and auto gadgets. You can’t protect these apps using a single method however, putting extra layers of security can help in maximizing the degree of safety.

Also Read – Cyberattacks Are Inevitable. Is Your Company’s Cloud Storage Secure?

8. Cyber Security Trends: Artificial Intelligence

Humans can’t deal alone with cyberattacks. Therefore, they are progressively turning to AI and ML to sharpen the security infrastructure. By deploying AI technology, organizations have successfully mitigated cyber threats and saved a significant amount. AI has been vital in building automated security frameworks at a faster pace, face detection, natural language processing, and automatic threat detection. This is advantageous both for large organizations managing huge data and SMEs whose security groups may be under-resourced.

Till now, we saw how AI has helped organizations improve their security infrastructure. However, hackers are also making use of advanced technology (AI) to automate their attacks.

The functional utilization of AI are as yet developing – we expect security tools driven by AI and ML to keep on growing in sophistication and capability.

9. Cyber Security Trends: Multi-Factor Authentication Improving

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is viewed as the standard level of validation. Nonetheless, hackers are finding better approaches to encounter it – explicitly, authentication completed by means of SMS or calls. In 2020, Microsoft encouraged clients to stop using mobile-based MFA, suggesting rather utilizing application-based authenticators and security keys.

SMS has some in-fabricated security, yet the messages sent – including for validation purposes – are not encrypted. This implies that hackers can acquire one-time passwords in plain text. This presents a weakness for exercises like internet banking, where confirmation is frequently done by means of SMS. Therefore, we need a better procedure that can add up certain security layers to this.

10. Cyber Security Trends: Data Privacy as a Discipline

Various prominent cyber attacks have exposed millions of personal identifiable information records (PII). This, combined with the introduction of stricter information laws around the world, for example, the EU’s GDPR, implies data protection is progressively being prioritized.

Companies that don’t comply with the guidelines and customer expectations may lose consumer trust and position in the market. Information security influences practically all parts of any organization. Thus, it is important for enterprises to emphasize more on hiring information protection officials and guaranteeing role-based access control, multifaceted verification, encryption in transit and at rest, network division, and external appraisals to identify areas of progress.

These were some of the latest trends in cyber security. We hope you found the blog useful and informative. Is your cybersecurity specialist team understaffed? Hire top-tier cybersecurity professionals on contractual/permanent roles with PeoplActive. For more details, email us at info@peoplactive.com or call at +1 213 4573262.