Thanks to ever-evolving threats, cyber security is an ever-evolving industry. New and improved software and defense methods are constantly being created to keep businesses and individuals alike protected from the bad guys. Read up on these 2020 cyber security trends to make sure you’re up to speed.
2020 Cyber Security Trends to Watch For
1. Phishing Remains a Top Threat
We’ve written extensively about phishing in our blog during recent month,s because it is such a potent threat.
Given who effective they are, there is no sign that phishing attacks will decrease in frequency in 2020. If anything, expect an increase in phishing attacks on both businesses and individuals.
2. Password Security
Password security is often glossed over by cyber security professionals, because to them it’s common sense. However, the average person might not realize the importance of a password that’s tough to crack. In 2020, we’d like to see a return to an emphasis on the importance of good, secure passwords.
Good passwords are often random words that are obfuscated by the usage of capital letters, lowercase letters, numbers and symbols.
For example, Star Wars fans might think a variant of the word “Mandalorian” would be easy to remember. Rather than just spelling the word as it is, they might consider something such as “m4Nd4L0r1@n” because it is much more difficult to guess.
3. Enterprise Collaboration as Attack Vectors
The usage of collaboration software is increasingly rapidly. So many companies rely on software like Microsoft OneDrive, Slack, Google Drive and many others.
Although these tools are great for productivity, they add one extra avenue through which a hacker can execute a cyberattack.
We predict that these enterprise software providers will strengthen their own cyber security standards. However, end-users (like you!) shouldn’t assume that means they don’t have to practice good security themselves. Always keep security software updated and avoid clicking suspicious links.
4. Compliance Concerns
An evolving digital landscape with so many new products and services can make it difficult for organizations to remain compliant with regulations that govern their industry.
Executives are becoming increasingly concerned with the steep penalties their organizations may face is they do not meet compliance standards, so we expect an emphasis on compliance to be one of the top 2020 cyber security trends.
5. Small Businesses Lag Behind
Every company, small or large, is a target for hackers. Why? Because they all have money. Whether it’s a small sum or a huge sum, hackers typically do what they do to make money.
A recent survey by Keeper Security unveiled some alarming information about small business cyber security:
- 60 percent of respondents (largely small business owners) do not have a cyberattack prevention plan
- Only 9 percent of small businesses rank cyber security as a top priority
- Only 7 percent of small business owners say a cyberattack is very likely
In other words: although cyberattacks are a very real threat for small businesses, their owners are not as concerned as they should be.
Unfortunately, we think that small businesses will increasingly become targets for hackers, unless they begin investing in prevention.
Those are five of our top 2020 cyber security trends. What else do you think will shape the industry in 2020?
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