CyberSecurity in 2022

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The cybercrime landscape is constantly changing, and you must know the latest trends and strategies to combat the ever-increasing cybercrime threat. We will need to be aware of four main directions to stay ahead of the curve: Employee negligence, Supply chain attacks, Zero-trust cloud security architecture, and Ransomware.

Employee negligence

One of the biggest cybersecurity threats today is employee negligence. One recent report revealed that human error is the number one cause of data breaches. According to the report, 47% of businesses lost a mobile device or document containing sensitive information. These incidents are largely preventable, however, with some simple steps that can minimize the likelihood of a data breach.

The first step is to educate employees about cybersecurity. By teaching employees best practices and training them on the importance of information security, you can reduce the incidence of employee negligence. Furthermore, you can prevent security breaches by treating employees as an extension of the defense. In this way, you can effectively limit the number of data breaches, mistakes, and other forms of security breaches.

Employee negligence is the most common source of insider threat. Although most employees don't intend to conduct cyberattacks, their negligence can result in their accessing sensitive information or giving credentials to outsiders. In the worst-case scenario, an insider may be recruited by a cybercriminal organization for malicious purposes.

Supply chain attacks

Attacks targeting the supply chain can target many service providers at once and thousands of customers at once. Nation-states or private criminal groups can initiate these attacks. Security researchers are continuing to find widespread vulnerabilities in the software supply chain. While TCP/IP stacks have been the most common target, industry-specific SDKs and wireless protocol stacks may be next.

Supply chain attacks are particularly dangerous because they disrupt a vast network of receivers and providers. Attackers typically monitor a supply chain before making themselves known to the company. During this initial surveillance, they can identify further targets and refine their attacks. Once the supply chain is compromised, the attacker can move on to a more significant attack.

Creating a cybersecurity incident response plan for supply chain attacks is critical. The program should identify mission-critical business components, clearly delineate roles, and implement a communications strategy. Organizations should perform routine security assessments to make the incident response plan more effective. In addition, they should conduct due diligence on their suppliers to ensure they adhere to industry standards and best practices. Companies should also train their employees to recognize abnormal behavior and take immediate action.

Zero-trust cloud security architecture

Zero-trust cloud security architecture has several benefits for security and compliance. It enables organizations to limit the potential damage from cyber threats and minimizes the attack surface. Zero-trust security architecture begins with the protection of network traffic and transactions. It then continuously monitors network activity to reduce the risk of a breach.

Zero-trust security architectures must integrate a wide range of technologies and capabilities to be effective. For example, the Netskope Private Access ZT platform combines comprehensive access policy management, compliance assessment, and IAM to protect data and applications. It is cloud-native and can integrate with existing IAM solutions.

Zero-trust cloud security architecture enables organizations to reduce risk by limiting network access and automating security policies. This model eliminates implicit trust and helps organizations transform themselves into a digital enterprises. The Zero-trust cloud security architecture offers many benefits, including improved security levels, lower operational costs, and less complexity.

Ransomware

Ransomware is one of the fastest-growing threats in cybersecurity today. According to estimates, by 2031, the total value of ransomware-related losses will reach $265 billion, up from $170 billion today. Ransomware has become an important source of revenue for cybercriminals, and the damage it causes has increased more than ever. For example, in 2022, the ransomware group LAPSUS$ encrypted a terabyte of proprietary information for NVIDIA. After paying a ransom, the data was released. In another case, the cloud computing provider Blackbaud was hacked, compromising more than ten universities.

Despite the growing prevalence of Ransomware, the FBI is still warning people to be wary. Even though many ransomware attacks go unreported, the FBI and other experts recommend that victims be vigilant about protecting their computers and data. Luckily, some programs will help users decrypt their files without special training.

Ransomware is becoming a more serious threat as hackers get increasingly sophisticated and the number of targets increases. This is especially true for public and healthcare institutions. With outdated cybersecurity measures, these sectors are at greater risk of being compromised by Ransomware than ever. As a result, these organizations should invest in security software and implement better prevention measures.

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