2017 has been a rocky year for cybersecurity and IoT. From incidents like the data breach at Verizon, to credit agencies like Equifax being targeted by hackers, the online world has once again become a dangerous place. All of this turbulence has raised one important question– what does 2018 have in store for the cyberworld?
Here are the top 7 cybersecurity predictions made by our industry experts. If anything, it shows that the picture is not as gloomy as one might expect, and that there is a huge scope of improvement and innovation when it comes to cybersecurity and tightening of IoT protocols.
The top 7 cybersecurity predictions for 2018 is all about innovation and practicality-
1) GDPR will gain prominence
General data protection regulation, aka GDPR, will change the way in which businesses are conducted. The EU regulation is a major catalyst for increased investment in data governance. The regulation will be effective from May 2018, and has enormous fines for companies that fail to comply.
As per our data and 2018 cybersecurity predictions, few companies at present comply with GDPR, and if they fail to comply with it in the upcoming year, the EU will send a clear message by expelling them from trading in the region.
2) Integration of security technology
Security operations and analytics platform architecture (SOAPA) has gained immense importance in 2017. It is expected that 2018 will witness a higher percentage of enterprise organizations opting for security technology integration. This development will also result in M&As, as vendors like IBM, McAfee, and Cisco must fill the loopholes in their product portfolio.
3) Orchestration and automation take the front seat
Advanced orchestration is one of the best ways to fight cyberattacks. Orchestration and automation (O&A) also improve the data breach process by streamlining privacy response management. The skills gap is also alleviated as analysts can now focus on investigation rather than pivoting between tools.
Our analysts foresee, in line with the 2018 cybersecurity predictions, that O&A efforts will gain top priority in the organizations’ annual security budget.
4) Increased adoption of risk-based authentication tools
Anthem and Equifax breaches have raised some very serious questions on password-only authentication options. Service providers as well as consumers are now looking for alternatives that will reduce the risk of data breach. As risk-based authentication tools assess the background behavior and other data of the users, the hackers will be soundly deterred.
5) Governments are no longer the only providers of reliable identities
The data breaches in 2017 have made one point very clear– no single entity can safeguard identity data. Therefore, our analysts predict an expansion of identity verification services to encompass large banks and blockchains in 2018, which can be used to log into government services. It is recommended that businesses perform due diligence while choosing a service provider for identity verification. Aspects like reputation of the provider, coverage, compliance, and security of data handling will all need to be considered.
6) Machine learning technology is the new ‘normal’
2018 will be the year when machine learning makes its way into enterprise security, alongside the addition of more intelligence to tools like EDR, endpoint security software, DLP, and threat intelligence platforms. Instead of artificial intelligence, the more preferred solution- machine learning, has now emerged as an effective tool in helping cybersecurity professionals build secure networks.
7) Greater investment in training non-technical staff
2017 has taught organizations that training non-technical staff must go beyond the usual “checkbox” exercise. Several organizations have already planned to introduce user-centric training modules and toolkits like wombat Security, and PhishMe to help non-technical staff deal with cybersecurity issues.
Another major change that will occur in 2018 is a general shift in attitude towards cybersecurity. It will be recognized that the latter is an ongoing process, therefore continuous education of the workforce is mandatory for effective results.
Summing Up- As hackers get smarter with each passing year and the threat of state-sponsored attacks loom heavily, 2018 will be a make-or-break year for cybersecurity. How successfully will the stakeholders overcome the challenges in the cyberworld is too early to predict, but with due diligence, it is expected that incidents like Petya are sure to be minimized.
