AI will be a major topic of conversation in many cybersecurity talks. AI use by both attackers and defenders will increase. There are some bold cybersecurity predictions for 2024. It will be used increasingly by the adversaries to create malware, automate assaults, and increase the potency of social engineering schemes.
Introduction: What are the bold cybersecurity predictions for 2024?
2023 will be in the rearview mirror in less than a week. This implies that it’s not too early to speculate about the potential developments in cybersecurity in 2024.
The cybersecurity sector has always responded quickly to developments in operating realities and adversary tactics, and the upcoming year will be no exception. Attackers and defenders will undoubtedly engage in a more intense and intricate game of cat and mouse as emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and the cloud alter the cybersecurity environment.
The government’s more assertive response to cybersecurity threats and the 2024 election are just two more reasons why this year is expected to be very interesting.
These are the top five trends for the upcoming year.
The growing data explosion will necessitate reconsidering security approach
Even though exponential growth of computer data has been spoken about for years, reality continues to outpace the hype. According to one research, the amount of data that a normal firm has to safeguard will grow by an astounding 7X over the next five years, and by 42% in the next year.
This is mostly due to two factors, in my opinion: the growing ubiquity of digital devices that generate data and the explosive growth in the use of AI systems, which need massive volumes of data to be trained and improved.
The complex technological environment of today presents a new challenge for businesses. The past year saw a 145% increase in data created in software-as-a-service (SaaS) systems and a 73% increase in cloud data. In contrast, there was a 20% increase in on-premise data centres. Oh, and don’t forget that cloud and SaaS costs are increasing almost as quickly as data growth. Someone has to pay them.
All of this suggests that by 2024, enterprises will have a more difficult time protecting data over a surface area that is changing and growing quickly.
Many firms will prioritize cybersecurity in this way for the upcoming year. More will notice that the whole security concept has changed: guarding a connected caravan now takes precedence than safeguarding separate castles.
The scope of attackers’ attacks against virtualized infrastructure will increase
Some malicious actors have already switched to attempting to compromise other infrastructure components, such as SaaS and Linux apps, APIs, and bare-metal hypervisors, as enterprises become increasingly adept at safeguarding more conventional targets, such PCs and mobile devices.
An early warning of the issue came from VMware, which stated that ransomware was being distributed by attackers using flaws in its ESXi hypervisor and its components. Additional studies from the year also indicated an increase in ransomware breaches linked to ESXi.
Remember: Assailants also peruse the news. Most of their economy is a “follower” economy that quickly adapts to well-known accomplishments.
Ultimately, there are several benefits for the attacker using these kinds of assaults in terms of size and speed of incursions. Technology is bidirectional. Attackers can take use of these technologies to create new targets, and I predict that in 2024 there will be more stories of this sort.
The number of Edge devices that “boutique” hacking groups target will increase.
Government agencies in the United States and Japan declared in September that hackers associated with the People’s Republic of China had compromised Cisco routers by installing difficult-to-find backdoors to keep access. The hackers had obtained the credentials through theft or compromised systems.
The revelation demonstrated a new pattern that we should expect to see more of in the next year: government infiltration organizations using edge device assaults to set themselves apart from mainstream ransomware operations.
These types of intrusions very certainly serve as a significant barrier against cyber threats since they require significant technological expertise, are frequently hard to detect, and have the potential to wreak a great deal of harm.
Edge devices will undoubtedly play a significant role in the cybersecurity war in 2024 and offer hacking organizations a stage on which to demonstrate their prowess. Some organizations are capable of pulling this off, and they will. In order to fully realize this forecast, government initiatives may even “defend” this edge access from other criminal organizations and urge them to maintain their stealthy access.
The discussion of cybersecurity will be dominated by AI.
Just wait until 2024 if you don’t already believe you’ve heard a lot about AI’s potential in cybersecurity. AI will be a major topic of conversation in many cybersecurity talks.
AI use by both attackers and defenders will increase. It will be used increasingly by the adversaries to create malware, automate assaults, and increase the potency of social engineering schemes. The good guys will respond by integrating AI-based technologies like natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML) algorithms into their cybersecurity plans.
The first presidential election of the generative AI age is predicted by the Brennan Center for Justice to take place in 2024. It is conceivable that candidates will have to speak to voters’ “AI anxiety.”
The current government initiatives will put pressure on CISOs and others.
The Securities and Exchange Commission charged SolarWinds Corporation and Timothy G. Brown, the company’s chief information security officer, in late October. SolarWinds was the subject of one of the greatest cyber-espionage events in U.S. history in 2019, which was carried out by a hacker gang with Russian support.
According to the lawsuit, SolarWinds and Brown misled investors for more than two years by inflating SolarWinds’ cybersecurity procedures and concealing or omitting to reveal known vulnerabilities. The accusations were made almost six months after a jury found former Uber CISO Joseph Sullivan guilty of two crimes and sentenced him to three years of probation and a $50,000 fine.
However, a few of the verdict’s detractors have questioned how Sullivan, who negotiated a contract to pay off the ransomware attackers in order to save his company’s image, could be charged with a crime. 2024 should be a very intriguing year in the cybersecurity space, as these five forecasts demonstrate. We’re approaching a new year, and I’m ready for the journey.
Conclusion:
As we navigate the ever-evolving panorama of cybersecurity, the formidable predictions for 2024 cast a spotlight on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. From the rise of AI-pushed cyber threats to the growing significance of quantum-resistant encryption, these predictions underscore the need for non-stop innovation and proactive measures in safeguarding virtual landscapes. As the virtual realm turns into more and more interconnected, the convergence of technologies brings forth a new generation of cybersecurity dynamics. Organizations and individuals alike ought to remain vigilant, adapting their defences to satisfy the sophisticated processes of cyber adversaries.
