It’s funny and amazing how we forgot stuff like going to the post office to check the mail or having to visit a ticketing station to book a flight or train ride. Now you can do all things with your smartphone at the very comfort of your couch wearing briefs. All your emails will find you there; you can book flights, do shopping, chat and call with people overseas, take a course and so on. We have the insane advancements in technology to thank for this. However, just like your sweet tooth can lead you to massive dental problems later, the recent cyber security trends have got governments, corporations, businesses and individuals alike worrying about digital safety. That’s why online security measures like getting an SSL certificate for your site have become so popular. It secures data flowing between the server and the browser.
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Hardly a month goes by without a highly publicized hacking or data breach taking place. Even technology giants like Microsoft and local governments like the cities of Baltimore and Atlanta have all fallen victim to the rampant cybercrime witnessed in the recent years. Cyber security has without doubt become a hot boardroom topic of discussion for any business or corporation that intends to stay afloat in these murky times. We have state actors targeting other governments and corporations in a bid to acquire sensitive information. The levels of cybercrime are slated to hit an all-time high in 2020. It’s thus important for everyone to observe cyber security best practices top of which is acquiring an SSL certificate for your website.
Table of Contents
Below we look at top cyber security trends for 2020:
1. Increased & More Sophisticated Political Interference in Elections
2020 is an electioneering year. Even the high and mighty USA is hitting the ballot later this year and we can all remember how their last election went down. Political powerhouses have gotten smart at using cyber techniques to propagate false information meant at diminishing their competitors mainly on social media. We have also witnessed the private emails of candidates being hacked and leaked like in the 2016 USA and 2017 France presidential elections. China has also been accused of using unethical cyber tactics to influence the Taiwan elections and manage Hong Kong protests. As we hit major elections this year, we can only expect that these cyber techniques to sway elections will go a notch deeper.
2. Increased targeting of utilities and public infrastructure
Malicious actors understand how important public utilities are to a nation’s economy. That’s why they deliberately target them with an intention of either getting a payout in the case of a ransomware attack or simply to derail a country’s operations. A famous case is when US utilities were massively targeted a while back as well as South Africa’s power grid. Currently nations are facing increased threats both internally from radicals and externally from competing countries. We are bound to witness an increase in the targeting of public utilities in 2020.
3. Artificial Intelligence (Al) & Machine Learning (ML)
The adoption and evolution of AI has been a consistent trend in the past several years. Let’s face it: humans are limited, but machines are not. For instance, if you hired the highest skilled cyber security expert in the whole world, they can’t manage to work round the clock as they need rest and sleep. However the recent cyber security trends are a clear indication that you cannot afford to look the other way even for a second because then the bad actors will gain entry. That’s why AI is being adopted all over because not only are you able to scan through mega sizes of data in a flash but you can also detect any incoming malicious attempts using predictive behavior. Although criminals can also deploy AI to beat around your security systems, a major AI showdown could be seen in 2020.
(Image Courtesy: https://www.govtech.com/blogs/lohrmann-on-cybersecurity/the-top-20-security-predictions-for-2020.html?AMP )
4. Threats to vehicles and transport infrastructure
We are all amused when we see the futuristic, self-driving, smart vehicles being engineered by companies like Tesla. Even before we get there, the current models of vehicles hitting the market have smart software applications to accompany the hardware like sensors, GPS, entertainment and communication systems and so on. The cars can even connect to your sensitive information like email and financial details. Transport infrastructure like traffic systems have also become modernized much to the delight of hackers. They can easily manipulate individual cars and entire transport grids causing heavy traffic and urban unrest. Such cases can only deepen in 2020.
5. Targeting of Wearable & Implantable Medical Devices
Medical technology has come a long way. We now have implantable and wearable medical devices that are connected to the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT). We have people wearing heart and glucose monitors, pacemakers, insulin pumps and so on. Although hackers have mainly been targeting health organizations so as to acquire sensitive medical records in the past, now they have spotted a gold mine in these wearables where they can target individual people or the entire set of manufactured devices. This is bound to worsen in 2020.
6. Increased Cyber Security Spending
The recent cyber security trends are alarming at best. Everyone is worried whether at a government, corporate, small business or individual level. Whenever you see any serious data breach in the news, you cannot help but wonder what if you become the next culprit. That’s why everyone is rushing to implement recommended safety precautions like buying an SSL certificate to protect your website. Companies and governments are expected to dig deeper into their pockets this year to add to their cyber security budget. This will include hiring more skilled staff, investing in better technology, and so on. Hackers are always up-to-date and so industry players are bound to spend more in 2020 in a bid to protect themselves.
Conclusion
Technology has countless benefits. We can’t deny that the internet has changed and impacted our lives in ways that we never thought possible. As more advancements come into play like more Internet of Things (IoT) devices and the introduction of 5G, our lives can only become sweeter than we know them. However, never forget that sweeter aromas attract more neighbors. Cyber criminals are more than prepared to hit bigger scores in 2020. So you have to keep an eye for cyber security trends as they emerge and implement safety precautions like installing an SSL certificate on your site.
