Cybersecurity Trends in 2020 and Beyond and How to improve it

Cyber threats and security vulnerabilities are taking a dangerous toll on both businesses and common households. Companies spend billions of dollars each year to deal with security issues including malware, phishing, ransomware, and worms. 

It can be said without any doubt that no one is 100% safe in the present digital age. According to an estimate, the average cost of cyberattacks had increased from $108K to $1.4 billion depending on the size of the business (Kaspersky). While the average spending on security products and services is as much as $124 billion (RSAConference).

Every one of us depends on technology to solve most of our problems whether it be personal or on the enterprise level. Therefore, it is also important that we all take measures to keep ourselves secure while using this technology. For this purpose, most of the internet service providers are offering security suites with their internet plans to protect subscribers on a big and small scale. For instance, Spectrum plans offer high-speed internet with as much as 940Mbps download speed, unlimited data caps, and a free security suite powered by McAfee. Some providers may charge you a small fee for the security suite, but rest assured that paying a small fee is much better than losing your personal information.

In the digital age, we are occupied with smartphones, tablets, AI assistants, AR/VR, cloud computing, and other emerging technologies. All of these technologies are vulnerable to security threats and without proper knowledge of future trends, large and small enterprises would face serious consequences. 

In this post, we are going to shed some light on bigger cybersecurity trends in 2020 and beyond. Stay tuned and let’s get started. 

Artificial Intelligence Role in Protecting Cyber Threats

Artificial intelligence is taking over the human workforce. From AI chatbots to smart assistants, we have seen the major impact of AI on almost all levels from big enterprises to SMEs and individuals. In the past, the use of AI was only limited to government and secret agencies as a means to ensure defense infrastructure during the war. Moreover, many terrorist organizations used to deploy AI to influence the state’s affairs and jeopardize security. 

With the increase in cybersecurity threats, we are more vulnerable to threats from data thieves, hackers, phishers, and crackers. The role of cybersecurity experts is to minimize the threats before they can cause a big loss. As most of you know that artificial intelligence can learn different patterns that lead to security threats and attacks. The technology can adapt to those patterns and tackle the security breach and data loss. 

With time, AI is becoming more complex and advanced. It is now becoming the mainstream and over time, we would see the role of AI in stopping the user from opening spam emails, or anything that could jeopardize the security. 

Data Breaches Continue to Grow

Today, data breaches have grown large, and is one of the biggest security concerns and would continue to grow with each passing day. Security and personal data would be a huge concern for businesses especially due to strict privacy legislation such as GDPR. Companies are also aware of the negative impact if they breach it. For web applications that are playing a leading role in data breaches, companies have to give priority to the security of an application. 

Automation and Integration in Cybersecurity

Security personnel, engineers, and developers are under constant pressure to deliver more with fewer resources. Therefore, integration and automation are vital to lessen the risk of cybersecurity. Companies can deploy security into agile processes including DevOps and CI/CD to minimize the risk and maintain the quality of development. Web applications with multiple services are difficult to secure and therefore automated solutions are becoming an essential part of the companies to lessen the human efforts and companies with lesser staff. 

Mindfulness of Importance of Cybersecurity

Digital transformation is taking place in every organization. Knowing the nitty-gritty of cybersecurity challenges is vital for both small and big enterprises to overcome it. With each passing day, organizations and businesses are realizing the need for an effective cybersecurity strategy. The companies have to devise a plan to deal with security issues. Cybersecurity is not a luxury anymore and therefore companies are investing a large amount of money to train their staff to improve cybersecurity and follow the SOPs on all levels. Moreover, security is also a vital part of the software development lifecycle. 

Mobile Devices are Vulnerable to Security Threats

Over time, the use of mobile devices by employees is increasing. The company’s private and sensitive data is usually stored on these mobile devices. The business impact of mobile malware is low, but you can expect an increase in the number of data breaches due to the misuse of mobile devices. Mobile devices that are used to access the company’s data and system need to be secured. The only way to reduce the risk is to give access through a secure web application with real-time susceptibility management. 

How to Improve Cybersecurity?

With the increase in cyber threats and security vulnerabilities, companies whether big or small have to look at ways to reduce the impact. The first step towards cybersecurity would be educating the employees and giving training. Education should not be limited to only workplaces, but also at the individual level. Especially when it comes to connecting to the public Wi-Fi and accessing sensitive information such as a bank account, one must be aware of the security measures that need to be taken. For instance, to connect to the public Wi-Fi which is free to access, one needs to connect to the Virtual Private Network (VPN) to hide identity. 

Training plays a vital role in IT administration, the company’s management, and security personnel. Although companies have to invest a huge amount of money to train the staff, yet it would prove to be fruitful in the future. Data loss and thefts can cause a loss of millions of dollars. If a company invests in training the staff, the employees would be vigilant about what measures to take when accessing private and persona information. 

Final Verdict

In the digital era, we are less vulnerable to burglars breaking into the house or office to steal valuables and more vulnerable to data theft. The companies as well as individuals need to realize the importance of cybersecurity and devise measures to lessen the risk.