Blog Post July 26, 2023

5 Cybersecurity Trends Still on the Rise

By: Brittany Demendi, Corporate Communications Manager at Adlumin

As summer begins to wind down and we hit the mid-year mark, it is becoming increasingly evident that the cybersecurity industry continues to experience transformational shifts. In the face of persistent threats and sophisticated attacks businesses must adapt to the changes to strengthen their defense mechanisms.

Despite the various challenges brought forth by the ever-advancing technological world, one thing remains constant—cybersecurity’s critical importance is safeguarding our digital assets and personal information. As the digital landscape continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, remaining vigilant is the key component to staying ahead of the cybercrime curve.

This blog explores five key cybersecurity trends that are still on the rise, shaping the way we approach digital security and setting the tone for the months to come.

Cybersecurity Spending: According to ESG research, 65% of organizations planned to increase their budgets this year. While budgets are tightening, cybersecurity spending is still on the rise. In the past few years, cybersecurity has become a boardroom topic. Cyber threats continue to impact organizations on a daily basis and the awareness of these issues is prevalent. Companies understand the criticality of keeping customer and business data secure and investment in cybersecurity has become non-negotiable and often needed for compliance.
Cloud-Based Attacks: Organizations have adapted to servicing customers through apps to employees working remotely, increasing the attack surface for adversaries. Most organizations store their data in the cloud and as a result, cybercriminals are focusing on the cloud as the main target for attacks. The key to managing cloud risk is being able to identify when user activity deviates from normal matters. This can be accomplished by investing in a solution with User Entity and Behavior Analytics and one that will ingest security signals from your productivity tools.
Machine Learning Based Detections: To keep up with the sophistication and growing threat landscape, machine learning is becoming a key capability in cybersecurity. Machine learning goes beyond signature-based detection methods to identify advanced tactics cybercriminal are leveraging to bypass detection. Embracing machine learning in cybersecurity solutions is a necessary step in staying ahead of ever-evolving cyber threats.
Insider Threats: This emerging challenge his emerging challenge is sometimes misunderstood. While it could be a disgruntled employee posting sensitive information, we’re referring to human error that occurs internally. According to VentureBeat, “one out of every five breaches, 19%, originate from the inside.” Whether it is an employee accidentally leaking passwords credentials or downloading malware without realizing it, not following security protocols leaves sensitive data at risk. Investing in security awareness training is essential to educating employees to better protect against this risk.
Business Email Compromise (BEC) Attacks: BEC continues to be one of the top ways attackers steal information, achieve financial gains, and find their way into an organization. It works because it involves a human element. They trick and deceive users into taking harmful actions, sharing sensitive information or providing monetary gains. An AFP report also shared “evidence that BEC remains a problem, with 71% of organizations experienced an attempted or actual BEC attack in 2022. That’s up 3 percentage points from 2021, but still off the 2018 high mark of 80%.” Security professionals must focus on educating employees to gain awareness and recognize these techniques to defend against BEC attacks.

Command More Visibility

The trends above only represent a small portion of what the industry is up against and opportunities to take hold of. The key is to take all we know about cybersecurity and apply them fully to our current security programs. Knowledge is only the halfway point to winning the battle and implementing a proactive security approach is important to defend against common trends.

Amidst these escalating threats, Managed Detection and Response (MDR) providers play a pivotal role in defending organizations. Investing in a solution that provides full visibility across your environment, provides insight into policy violations, and takes a multi-layered detection approach that looks at your extended threat landscape will enable organizations to keep up with the latest trends. Investing in MDR can be an extension of your team and provide valuable threat insights to prepare for and protect against the evolving threat landscape.