Predictions for cyber security in 2020…

2019 was another busy year within cyber security with more high-profile breaches, more vendors/businesses entering the market and more reporting in general on the state of cyber security. But what do we see happening in 2020, what kind of predictions are people making for the state of cyber security in the next year?

Articles from sources like Forbes and GovTech provide predictions for the cyber security industry from various vendors, researchers and big players within the market; covering everything from the increase in ransomware, to the dangers of 5G. Our list is compiled of the regular themes that everyone seems to be reporting on, let’s see if by the end of 2020 we’ve got a different view altogether.

The increase of AI…

Probably one of the most talked about topics in 2019, AI is set to ramp up in the cyber security industry, in a positive and negative light. On the defensive side of security, AI can be used to improve the efficiency of incident response, to detect threats quickly, to determine an accurate response and provide a strong first line of defence against potential attackers. On the offensive side, AI is also enabling hackers to counteract the advancements of AI within defensive solutions. They can create AI empowered malware programs and adaptable attacks that will learn from defences and provide solutions for them to still gain access.

With technological advancements constantly evolving, the use of AI in cyber security will continue to increase; the capabilities will improve, the boundaries will be pushed, and the solutions will be ever present.

The skills shortage within cyber security…

Another hot topic that was talked about a lot within 2019 (and previous years!) is the lack of talent coming into the cyber security industry and that the skills gap is widening. In a survey by ESG 53% of organisations reported they were facing a cyber security skills shortage, 10% up from the previous years so what’s going to happen in 2020?

With the UK cyber security industry potentially valued north of £3 billion there’s a huge demand for talent to join the sector but we’re seeing the length of time it takes companies to hire cyber security professionals increasing. There’s a lot of government initiatives to bring in more talent (Cyber First), there’s a push at an educational level to start getting more students passionate about a role within cyber security, there’s a movement to look at improving the diversity within cyber security but is there more we could be doing to help reduce the skills gap?

A rise in data breaches…

There’s a common theme throughout the IT industry for companies, regardless of size, shape or what they do, to migrate all their services to cloud based platforms. The main issue from a cyber security perspective, as they try to make the transition as quick as possible, they’re not taking the necessary precautions to secure their data. So, what could 2020 bring us with this in mind… more high-profile data breaches, more investigations by the ICO and more companies ruining their brand from a security perspective.

Ransomware will continue to plague businesses…

It seems to be the go-to choice for hacking groups at the moment and will continue to be used as the attack of choice for 2020. It causes a great deal of disruption for businesses, causes no end of hassle and is the type of attack used by hackers which will be lucrative. The majority of times, companies pay the ransom due to ease (it cost the city of Atlanta $17m to repair their network rather than pay $52,000 ransomware demands) and this creates a recurring theme; ransomware demands are more likely to be paid, so they are going to be used more by hacking groups.

Bad news for smaller companies…

2019 saw larger organisations starting to take their cyber security capabilities seriously, increasing their technologies, increasing their staff and investing heavily. Sadly, for SME’s they don’t have the cashflow to increase their cyber security posture at this level; so in 2020 we will probably see the smaller organisations being targeted more by cyber criminals, usually with phishing campaigns being the method of choice used.

2019 was another big year for cyber security, it’s getting more coverage globally on a daily basis and with it now being considered one of the main groups of threats to the UK’s national security, 2020 will only increase the awareness and coverage of cyber security. Let’s get ready for another interesting year.

If you’re ramping up your cyber security defences and looking to expand your technical workforce, please get in touch.