Cybersecurity landscape is evolving rapidly. From traditional offices to work from home, from on premises servers to rapid cloud adoption and from office chitchat to zoom calls, we have come a long way in a short span of a year. What does the cybersecurity industry have in store for us in 2022? If you are one of those who is wondering, where the industry might be heading next? then, you are at the right place.
In this article, you will learn about ten cybersecurity predictions you should pay attention to in 2022.
10 Cybersecurity Predictions You Should Pay Attention To In 2022
Here are ten cybersecurity predictions that will reshape the cybersecurity industry in 2022.
1. Weaponization of Deepfake Technology
Deepfakes are nothing new but the way they will be used by cybercriminals in 2022 will be completely different. Yes, I am referring to the weaponization of deep fake technology. Cybercriminals will use deep fake phishing attacks and combine it with AI powered voice cloning tech to trick people into performing a financial transaction. We have already seen many examples of this where hackers impersonate a C-suite executive and ask a subordinate to transfer money by mimicking their voice. Get ready to see more such incidents in 2022.
Not only that cybercriminals will launch deep fake social engineering attacks to gain access to sensitive data as well privileged access or permission to access business critical information. Weaponization of deep fake technology will lead to surge in online fraud and 2022 will be the year where we will see that happen.
2. State Sponsored Mobile Threats
Mobile malware and malicious apps might be common but things will become even more complex when state sponsored attackers get behind them. In addition to this, these state sponsored mobile threats will be used for espionage in 2022. They will start using sophisticated methods to evade detection and spy on critical information. Once they manage to get inside your device, they silently start stealing your data without leaving a trace. We might see advanced persistent threat groups take part in those activities with state backing as this could lead to cybersecurity cold war between different countries.
3. Cryptocurrency Will Be The Next Target
Cryptocurrencies have been in the news for quite some time now and that additional media attention has also brought it to the attention of cybercriminals. 2022 will be the year where we see crypto wallets attack skyrocket. As people store their cryptocurrencies worth millions of dollars into their cryptowallets on crypto exchanges, this becomes a lucrative target for cybercriminals.
We could also see cyber-attackers either selling rouge devices with backdoors or fabricate devices to launch social engineering attacks later on. The primary objective will be to steal user’s financial information which can be used to steal their financial and digital assets.
This might force governments to regulate cryptocurrencies or introduce their own currencies. Users should also do their due diligence to keep their crypto assets safe otherwise, they will continue to lose their digital currencies worth millions of dollars. They can take steps like taking cryptocurrencies off the exchange wallets into a hot wallet or a cold wallet for additional security. We might even see state sponsored actors target cryptocurrencies in 2022.
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4. Microservices Vulnerabilities
Hackers will take advantage of security loopholes in microservices to launch large scale attacks. That is why developers need to design them with security in mind and choose a microservice architecture which is secure by design. Don’t forget to scan for dependencies in microservices. Another step you can take is to introduce access and identity tokens. Try to use HTTPS and encryption where possible. Develop a comprehensive understanding of cloud and cluster security so you can protect your microservices from attackers and use security tools to keep everything private.
You can even implement session timeout or time baqsed security to minimize the damage a cyberattacker can do. Lastly, install patches to plug in those security holes before the attackers can exploit them and use it as a ladder to move laterally through your network to target other critical assets.
5. Ransomware As a Service
Ransomware attacks will become more dangerous in 2022. Instead of making your data inaccessible, they will first steal your data first and then encrypt your data. Not only that, attackers will also package the malware with ransomware attacks and target highly specific organizations.
This means that the number of ransomware attacks might come down but they will become more sophisticated. This will make it harder for organizations to defend against these attacks. We will see ransomware attackers set their sights on more complex targets and use advanced extortion techniques.
6. Zero Trust Goes Mainstream
Zero trust will be more important than ever before as more and more organisations embrace the zero trust approach in 2022. Implementing zero trust gives your security teams better visibility into who is accessing your resources and assists you in minimising your attack surface. What’s more you can ensure continuous logging and monitoring of all the assets.
Companies should also prepare themselves to get over the complex setup and configuration process and its dependence on policies in order to implement zero trust successfully. Even though it might minimize the risk of external threats, it can certainly increase the risk of insider threat so you should keep that in mind when adopting a zero trust approach.
7. Supply Chain Risks Will Get More Serious
According to Supply Chain Resilience report 2021, 60% of all cybersecurity incidents occurred due to the issues from third party vendors and suppliers. In fact, 27.8% of companies reported more than 20 supply chain disruptions and this number is projected to grow even further in 2022.
The number of cyberattacks targeting vendors and suppliers will go through the roof in 2022. We will see the government take measures to curb these supply chain attacks but organisations should also take steps to improve their processors, technologies and people to protect themselves from supply chain attacks.
8. 5G Revolution
The dawn of the next generation of connectivity is upon us. Yes, I am talking about 5G. With chip manufacturers ramping up 5G chip manufacturing and mobile phone manufacturers adopting 5G enabled chipset in their devices, we are already seeing a huge influx of 5G devices making their way to our store shelves. Some countries and carriers have already deployed 5G networks in certain areas while others are working on it. 2022 will be the year when we will see a wider adoption of 5G.
From the cybersecurity perspective, the faster data transfer speeds offered by 5G networks can help attackers extract large volumes of data in a short span of time. In addition to this, it can also facilitate the development of more sophisticated botnets and could even result in more privacy violations.
9. Edge Security Will Be Crucial
One of the direct consequences of rapid adoption of 5G would be that it would accelerate the adoption of edge computing. As the number of smart devices continues to grow, it will make out existing networks and computing infrastructure obsolete. We need the next generation of computing and network infrastructure to handle billions of smart devices. That is where edge computing comes into play.
To create a successful edge security strategy, you need to focus on these six important aspects:
- People
- Processes
- Policies
- Products
- Proof
- Procedures
Security professionals will have to adopt new security approaches and ditch traditional ones in order to secure the edge. With more data being shared between more devices, we need stronger security mechanism to secure that data. This will make edge security even more important.
Here are five steps you can take to secure the edge
- Make edge an integral part of your security strategy
- Embrace zero trust
- Draw a line between what’s normal and what’s not
- Make patching a priority
- Secure the financial transactions made for product purchase
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10. Elections Will Come Under Attack
With more than a dozen elections scheduled to take place in 2022, it will surely be a year of elections. Cybercriminals are also aware of that and will try to change the outcome of elections by launching attacks on voting machines. Both local and state governments will have to take steps to beef up their election security. They will have to create a voting mechanism which is secure and foolproof so the candidate voted by the masses get elected.
Conclusion
If you think 2021 was an eventful year for cybersecurity, think again. 2022 will be even better. From state sponsored attacks to ransomware as a service, vulnerability in micro services to adoption of zero trust architecture by enterprise, we will see all that and much more. Cryptocurrencies and elections will be on the radars of cybercriminals. Supply chain attacks will continue to haunt businesses in 2022 and 5G adoption will push the demand for edge computers and security.
Which of these cybersecurity predictions will be right or wrong in your opinion? Share it with us in the comments section below.
Author Bio: Irfan Ak
Irfan Ak is a tech savvy & experienced digital content strategist at Branex Mobility. He is a regular contributor on various websites. He has worked with several brands and created value for them.
