6 Important Cybersecurity Trends in 2020 and More

Introduction

With the age of Digitalization and digital revolution in all businesses, small or large organizations worldwide now depend on high-tech systems to track their day-to-day activities. This makes Cybersecurity a primary goal for everyone to protect their sensitive data from various online phishing attacks or unauthorized access to it. Unrestrained access to sensitive data weakens the confidence in users. Cybercrime is a serious issue gradually affecting the businesses’ security as well as stability as a whole. Between all the Cyberattacks, credit card frauds, and a surge in new app releases with little or no security measure in place, has made Cybersecurity more critical than ever. These threats in the digital industry are bound to shape the Cybersecurity trends of 2020.

With the rising use of 5G and AI, the logistics industry and private automated vehicles are increasingly being targeted by hackers. Experts are calling these key Cybersecurity trends, critical to comprehend in 2020.

With the continuous shift and development of technologies, and with more data breaches, ransomware, and hackings, the shift in Cybersecurity trends has become the new norm. Below are some of the latest Cybersecurity trends to watch out for:

1. 5G implementation of emerging trends in Cybersecurity.
2. The continuous rise of AI and its applications.
3. The smart devices are expanding faster than ever.
4. The increasing use of medical/health devices increases the risk of an internet health crisis.
5. The rise of state-sponsored attacks.
6. The vehicles and transport industry will be the new target.

In this article let us look at:

• Cybersecurity trends 2020 in Brief
• Threats facing the Cybersecurity Industry in 2020
• How Can We Improve Cybersecurity?

A) Cybersecurity trends 2020 in Brief

1. 5G Implementation Emerging Trends in Cybersecurity: The next-generation 5G technology facilitates a new kind of network that is designed to connect everyone and everything virtually. 5G used in medical health apps, devices, vehicles, or commute apps, collects user’s day to day personal data. And with that, 5G technology will need high levels of security against Cybercrimes, which is why it is the top emerging Cybersecurity trend right now.

2. The Continuous rise of AI and its Applications: Developments in artificial intelligence (AI) is getting machine learning technologies into apps and products across all marketplace sectors, including Cybersecurity. Nowadays, AI algorithms are used to automate the process, face and language detection, processing, predictions, and the threat or error detection. This is why with the increasing use of AI, the Cybersecurity future trends will include more efficient and up-to-date solutions across the devices. And with advanced AI devices, future trends in Cybersecurity will include identifying new threats, sending a response to any Cyberattack to help block the threat before they can spread any further.

3. The Smart Devices are expanding faster than ever: With everyone using smartphones, speakers, smartwatches, health fitness trackers, smart home security cameras, smart home appliances, and smart locks are seemingly irresistible democratization of the Internet. The economy and society will soon become fully dependent on these, which makes them a huge target for Cybercriminals. This is why these smart devices can be seen as a major Cybersecurity risk. So, as per current trends in Cybersecurity, one way of reducing this risk will be to give access via a secure web app infrastructure along with real-time vulnerability management. 

4. Increasing the use of Medical/Health devices increases the risk of an Internet Health Crisis: Personal health devices like pacemakers, heart and glucose monitors, insulin pumps, and defibrillators are connected to the internet to perform. With the increasing number and use of these medical devices and software, the vulnerability and feasibility of Cyberattacks increases. This could lead to attacks on individuals or the entire product classes. So far, it has been a challenge for the health industry to identify the issues and respond, especially when the product has come to its expiry. This is why the recent trends in Cybersecurity will see a shift in medical/health devices and apps.

5. The Rise of State-Sponsored Attacks: According to 2019, the ratio of state-sponsored Cyberattacks against various organizations is growing rapidly. In 2019, almost 23 percent of Cyber breaches examined by Verizon were recognized as being funded or supported by state-sponsored actors, nations, or states. Following the 2019 report, and as per the Cybersecurity predictions 2020, we will see a surge in such state-sponsored attacks that tend to be far more capable than any garden variety Cyberattacks. And to detect, contain, or respond to these threats will require high-powered AI assistance.

6. Vehicles and Transport Industry will be the new target: Because of the development of software and hardware platforms, vehicles and the transport industry is increasingly connected. With numerous transport applications that offer drivers and users more flexibility, more road safety, and functionality, the development of self-driven or automated vehicles is higher. This is why the top trends in Cybersecurity for 2020 will include securing the user data by safe access and a secure web app infrastructure.

B) Threats facing the Cybersecurity Industry in 2020

Below are some of the major threats for the Cybersecurity industry that will rise rapidly in 2020:

1. Attacks through Ransomware and Malware
2. Cloud Computing

1. Attacks through Ransomware and Malware: As per the report of Mobliciti, the first half of the year 2019 experienced a 50% increase in mobile banking malware attacks. And compared to 2018 and 2019, this trend is likely to increase even more in 2020. This ransomware is often circulated via phishing emails with links, where a user is lured into clicking those links. This is why Cybersecurity industry trends in 2020  will include looking at the possibilities of ransomware attacks and impacts on not only users but also on businesses and to take proper safety steps in order to minimize the impact of such attacks.

2. Cloud Computing: With more and more businesses adapting to the cloud for data storage, the risks of cloud computing also seem to increase in 2020. As per the report from Forbes, almost 83% of organizations and businesses will move their data storage to the cloud. To avoid any Cyberattacks on their data will require thorough knowledge regarding cloud security, skilled cloud architects, and new, flexible, and scalable cloud-based architecture.

C) How Can We Improve Cybersecurity?

With many businesses and organizations undergoing massive digital transformations, awareness against Cyberattacks is a must, not only for the organizations but also for individuals. The first defense against such Cyberattacks will be proper training. Educating all the users about the security threats in all kinds of businesses is a necessity not only at their workplace but at their homes as well.

Sharing sensitive information or whereabouts on Social media might seem harmless but it can be dangerous for younger people or children. And when it comes to network security threats and Cyberattacks, training and awareness are very important for all IT administrators, network security and management. Cybersecurity technology trends in 2020 will include protection from data breaches to IT security staff shortages, putting data in volumes to cloud technology, the future, and the development of AI as well as 5G.

Modern applications and products can allow even a smaller team to secure multiple websites and web applications efficiently while providing a technological solution to serious recruitment problems. Having trained staff, proper network security system in place will be a huge step towards maintaining security in any business. 

If you’d like to learn more about handling cyberattacks and defending your devices, then Jigsaw Academy’s Master Certificate in Cyber Security (Blue Team) is all you need to feed your curiosity. It is a 520-hour-long online course, particularly focusing on defensive Cybersecurity technology.