Over the last two years, we have witnessed significant changes in the technology landscape. No one would have predicted the impact Covid-19 would have had on technology and internet security. The pandemic opened up new avenues for hackers to carry out their malicious activities. Now is the time to get acquainted with the latest security threats and measures. The knowledge will help you know how best to protect yourself and your networks from cyberattacks.
As I have already mentioned, the cybersecurity landscape is evolving rapidly. More advanced cyber threats are cropping up daily. Our experts have spent several hours researching and analyzing the latest cyber threats and tips you should watch out for in 2021 and beyond.
1. Remote Working Cyber Attacks
Remote working has been one of the biggest trends we have witnessed recently. Whether you like it or not, remote working is here to stay. It is the new norm of doing things, and it will be here long after the pandemic. Although remote working comes with its share of benefits to both the employees and the organization, it also brings myriad cybersecurity issues.
Cyberattacks targeting remote workers have multiplied. The remote working environment is no longer safe. And because remote working is here to stay, we can only anticipate the worst. Behind every click, a remote worker makes potential cybersecurity threats. Unfortunately, hackers are taking advantage of the fact that remote workers do not have the expertise to deal with potential threats.
As the world migrates to remote working, it is high time we delved deep into how we can make the remote-working environment safe. Remote workers should be encouraged to adhere to the best remote working security practices. It is time we started seeing mobile IT experts who move from point A to point B to ensure that the employees are safe. Furthermore, organizations have a role in educating workers on the best safety tips for remote working.
2. HTTP To HTTPS Migration
A recently released Google’s Transparency Report revealed that 89% of pages that loaded on Google chrome in January 2021 were served over the Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol Secure. This has always been the trend since 2015 when Google announced that it would rank HTTPS websites higher than HTTP websites in search engine results pages. The trend has had a great security impact. HTTPS is not all about SEO. It is about the security of internet users.
What differentiates HTTP from HTTPS is the SSL certificate. HTTPS websites have SSL certificates which are small cryptographic keys that secure the transfer of information between website servers and website browsers. Since the certificates have had significant impacts on website security, website owners have been rushing to buy SSL certificates. So let’s say those website owners who care about the security of their website should acquire an SSL certificate.
Users should be keen to ensure that they only acquire their SSL certificates from trusted certificate providers. Luckily enough, certificate providers have been a bit lenient with SSL prices. So, today, website owners can easily find cheap SSL certificate options. The certificates, therefore, present website owners with a cost-effective security strategy. One of the best SSL plugins for WordPress on the market at the moment is WP Force SSL. It features more than 14 SSL checks and additional settings to offer the best user experience. The SSL certificate validation tool that comes with the plugin checks to see if the SSL certificate is genuine, installed correctly, and up-to-date. So, let us secure the internet by acquiring SSL certificates for our websites.
3. Cyber Attacks on Cloud Computing Services
The need and prevalence for cloud computing services have increased drastically over the past few years. In the future, expect this trend to continue as more and more organizations are finding them effective.
https://cyberthreatportal.com/what-are-the-security-risks-of-cloud-computing/
Although cloud computing services offer massive benefits to organizations, they have become prime targets for cyber attacks and security threats. For instance, threats targeting cloud computing cost organizations a whopping $4.41 million in 2020. As organizations migrate to cloud computing technology, it is prudent that they do with care. They should know and install cloud computing security tips to protect their organizations from related data breaches.
4. Increase in Use of Biometric Authentication
Two-factor authentication has always been a critical component of cybersecurity. In the past, two-factor authentication relied on secret codes sent to the users’ devices as a text message or via email. Secret words have also been a common element of 2FA. Although the two elements are still popular, the internet security landscape is witnessing another essential 2FA- biometric technology.
Biometric recognition technologies have significantly impacted many industries such as health, military, and banking institutions. They help to validate the authenticity of a user, thereby increasing security. Examples of biometric technologies include facial recognition, fingerprint IDs, and voice recognition technology. With the voice recognition market projected to hit USD 27.16 billion by 2025,
5. Integration of Artificial Intelligence in Cybersecurity
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are becoming popular and significant elements of the modern world. We see AI technology almost everywhere, and we marvel at how exciting the world has become. Companies and organizations around the globe are continually integrating the use of Artificial Intelligence in their security infrastructures.
Artificial Intelligence and machine learning are continually being used to create automated security systems and threat detectors that replace the human factor. The question of whether the integration of AI in cybersecurity can completely replace human labor warrants serious deliberations. AI has made it possible for organizations to analyze massive amounts of data and detect security vulnerabilities. Through the deployment of Artificial Intelligence defense mechanisms, organizations could save $3.58 million in 2020.
Although organizations have majorly used AI to stop cyber attackers, its application has taken two diverse routes. First, cyber attackers are also using AI to automate attacks. Second, through model stealing and data poisoning techniques, attackers have used AI to craft dangerous cyberattacks.
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6. Covid-19 Phishing Attacks
Although phishing attacks have been available for a significant amount of time, the Covid-19 pandemic caused a massive surge in these attacks. As people search for information such as the availability of a vaccine, who provides the jab, and who can be approved to receive the jab, hackers take advantage of the situation and provide false information for their malicious benefits. Phishing messages disguised as vaccine appointments have been a common thing.
Phishing emails targeting remote workers have also become common. To combat this menace, remote workers and the general public should be enlightened on how to identify phishing messages and some of the measures they should take in a phishing attempt.
7. Mobile Cybersecurity Threats
Most people now prefer using mobile devices for shopping and browsing the internet. Hackers are well aware of this trend and have now diverted their attention to mobile users. The recent inception of the 5G network has also created potential security risks that need to be patched.
Some of the dominant mobile threats include; specialized and advanced spyware tools designed to spy on encrypted application messages, attackers taking advantage of critical security loopholes within the android operating system, and mobile malware. With the rise of mobile security threats, there is a need for mobile users to remain cautious at all times.
In Summary
Technology is evolving rapidly, and so is the cybersecurity landscape. New threats and measures have, and will always crop up. The past few years saw a rapid evolution in security threats and measures. For example, installing an SSL certificate on your website can rule out MITM attacks. You can purchase SSL certs from reliable online providers such as SSL2BUY or ClickSSL. However, new threats have emerged, new targets emerged, and new security measures have been crafted. Every internet user should look out for these cybersecurity threats and measures. This article has explained seven security threats and tips that we should watch out for in 2021 and beyond.
References
- https://securityintelligence.com/articles/cybersecurity-trends-and-emerging-threats-2021/
- https://bigdata-madesimple.com/7-emerging-cybersecurity-threats-2021/
- https://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/94343-five-cyber-threats-to-watch-in-2021
- https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.pandasecurity.com/en/mediacenter/tips/cybersecurity-trends/amp/
- https://www.ibm.com/security/digital-assets/cost-data-breach-report/#/pdf
