Biggest trends - and threats - in cyber security

As we've written before, 2020 was clearly the year where cyber criminality skyrocketed. So of course this has consequences for cyber security in 2021. Learn about the biggest trends and threats in cyber security that we have observed.

Threats

Using the cloud

In 2020 we used the cloud more than ever. We needed to - to be able to work from home. But the, often too quick, migration to the cloud entails new security challenges.

Insider threats

Even though they might not mean to harm the company, employees often pose a great threat because they don't use passwords strong enough, they leave their devices unattended, ...

More frequent and more serious phishing

We've all received the fake emails and text messages from the bank, or the delivery service, asking for information. This is happening more frequently and more seriously, as hackers target bigger businesses.

Ransomware attacks

Lots of companies have been the victim of ransomware. What happens is, cyber criminals hack into all of your data and take it hostage. The moment you try to log in to the server you get a message like "Your server has been hacked. Pay us x amount of money, or we'll delete everything.". For a lot of companies, this would be fatal, so they choose to pay.

The failure of passwords

The security sector has been saying it for years: using passwords is not safe enough. Too many people use weak passwords or the same one on a number of different sites.

Attacking people working from home

Working from home brings about multiple threats. First your home network is probably less secure than the company server. Second a lot of companies had to make the switch very quickly. Often this went too hastily, without thinking about the cyber security. Opening up your company server for your employees to work at home, might also open it up to hackers.

Artificial intelligence

AI is still in the works and being developed as we speak. Hackers can use AI technology to find weaknesses and security patterns in your network. Because of this they can hack more easily.

Internet of things

IoT is getting more and more popular. This trend will continue in 2021. Connecting more devices to the internet means more opportunities for hackers to break into one of them.

Solutions

Zero trust security

With this strategy, you start with nothing enabled eg. you trust nothing. You can only use the apps and websites you mark as trustworthy. For example if your company decides to communicate via Microsoft Teams, no other messaging apps will work.

A password is not enough

Just using passwords, even if they are strong, simply won't cut it in 2021. Bit by bit companies will have to start using some form of multi factor authentication. This can be done by pin codes, mobile devices, tokens, fingerprints, etc. At Jimber we use our very own app to protect ourselves. Our clients can also request to use this to ensure well-protected data.

Conclusion

Data protection should be top priority

We all create, collect and save heaps of data. The more data you have, the more appealing you are to hackers. This is why your own data protection should be top priority.

Late detection of attacks

Cyber attacks are becoming more and more complex. This makes them harder to detect. Often times companies don't even realise they have been hacked until months, or even years, later. The better you understand the dangers and threats, the sooner you'll recognize your company has been hacked.There's many dangers to beware of. We at Jimber realize this and are here to help.Do you want to ensure your online safety? Have a look at our solutions.Read more about this: Source