By the end of next year, the cost of cyberattacks on the global economy will be predicted It will exceed $10.5 trillion.

This staggering amount reflects the growing need to treat cybersecurity as a strategic priority at individual, organizational, and government levels.

As in every other area of ​​business and technological endeavors, artificial intelligence (AI) will have a transformative impact on both offense and defense. Its influence will be felt across every trend we cover.

The pace of technological advancement has accelerated in many fields in recent years, and cyber threats are no exception. As the saying goes, advance warning is advance preparation. Check out my predictions for the cybersecurity trends everyone should be wary of heading into 2024.

Cyber ​​security skills shortage

The lack of professionals with the skills needed to protect organizations from cyber-attacks will continue to be an ongoing theme throughout 2024. In fact, the situation appears to be getting worse. the study This shows that a majority of cyber security professionals (54%) believe that the impact of skills shortages on their organizations has worsened over the past two years. Efforts to rectify this situation are expected to include continued increases in salaries paid to people with the required skills, as well as greater investment in training, development and upskilling programmes.

Generative AI employed by both sides of the battle

AI is becoming more sophisticated at a frankly astonishing rate, and we will continue to see more advanced and smarter AI-powered attacks. This ranges from deepfake social engineering attempts to automated malware that intelligently adapts to evade detection. At the same time, real-time anomaly detection, smart authentication, and automated incident response help detect, prevent, and neutralize threats. If cyber attack and defense in 2024 were a game of chess, AI would be the queen, with the ability to create powerful strategic advantages for the best players.

Next level phishing attack

Social engineering attacks that trick users into giving attackers access to their systems will also become more sophisticated. Generative AI (such as ChatGPT) tools are enabling more attackers to take smarter, more personalized approaches. deep fake Attacks will become more prevalent. The response will primarily revolve around awareness and education across the organization, but the role of AI and zero trust will also increase.

Boardroom Cybersecurity

In 2024, cybersecurity will become a strategic priority and will no longer be siloed within the IT department. Gartner predicts that by 2026, 70% of boards of directors will include at least one member with expertise in this area. This enables organizations to move beyond being reactive and act on new business opportunities that come with being prepared.

IoT cyber attack

More devices communicating with each other and accessing the internet means more potential “intrusions” available to cyber attackers. As the work-from-home revolution continues, the risks posed by employees connecting or sharing data through improperly secured devices will continue to be a threat. These devices are often designed for ease of use and convenience over secure operation, and home IoT devices can be at risk due to weak security protocols and passwords. Despite the fact that vulnerabilities have been exposed for years, the fact that industry has generally been slow to implement IoT security standards remains a weak point in cybersecurity, although the landscape is changing. means to continue (more details below).

Cyber ​​Resilience – Beyond Cybersecurity

Two terms that are often used interchangeably are cyber security and cyber resilience. However, from 2024 onwards, this distinction will become increasingly important. While the focus of cybersecurity is on preventing attacks, the increased emphasis many organizations place on resilience reflects the harsh reality that even the best security cannot guarantee 100% protection. . Resilience measures are designed to ensure business continuity even after a successful breach. Developing agile recovery capabilities while minimizing data loss and downtime will be a strategic priority in 2024.

Less than zero trust

The fundamental concept of Zero Trust, always verify, evolves as systems become more complex and security is integrated into business strategy. Zero Trust states that there are no boundaries around which network activity can be assumed to be secure. As the threat landscape evolves, this principle extends beyond the corporate network to remote workers, partner organizations, and the ecosystem of IoT devices. In 2024, Zero Trust will move from a technical network security model to one that is adaptive and holistic, enabled by continuous real-time authentication and activity monitoring powered by AI.

Cyber ​​warfare and state-sponsored cyber attacks

The Ukraine war, which is entering its third year, is exposing the extent to which each country is willing and able to launch cyberattacks against military and civilian infrastructure in 2024. There is no doubt that this will continue to be the case wherever military operations take place.all over the world they will go Hand in hand In cyber warfare operations. The most common tactics include phishing attacks aimed at gaining access to systems for purposes of disruption or espionage, and distributed denial-of-service attacks that disable communications, utility, transportation, and security infrastructure. Masu. Outside of war, large-scale elections will be held in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and India in 2024, and an increase in cyberattacks aimed at subverting democratic processes is expected.

Soft skills are increasingly essential for cybersecurity professionals

As the threat landscape becomes increasingly sophisticated, cybersecurity professionals will be expected to increasingly tackle more complex workloads during 2024. This doesn’t just mean in a technical sense. Those responsible for countering cyber threats will also be tasked with more complex social and cultural aspects of threat mitigation. This leads to an increased reliance on soft skills such as interpersonal communication, relationship building, and problem solving.

cyber security regulations

Governments and organizations are increasingly aware of the risks to national security and economic growth posed by cyber threats. The potential social and political impact of large-scale data breaches is also a major factor in the emergence of new regulations regarding cybersecurity issues. For example, businesses in the UK have until April 2024 to ensure they are compliant with the Product Security and Telecommunications Act, which sets out the minimum security requirements that networking products must comply with, for example: Do not ship with default passwords). Enforcement of the EU’s similar Radio Equipment Directive has been delayed until 2025, but the topic is likely to remain high on lawmakers’ agendas throughout 2024.