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Now that we're well into the second month of 2022, cybersecurity and IT professionals have a lot to consider when it comes to staying ahead of cyber attackers. In this blog post, we'll take a look at the top 5 cybersecurity predictions for the year. Being forewarned is forearmed, so read on to learn what experts are expecting in the world of cybersecurity that could help you when creating or redesigning your strategic plan.

Cybercriminals are taking advantage of the fast digital transformation, which has exposed new vulnerabilities. Cyber dangers continue to develop, and organizations will harden their cybersecurity defences, thankfully.

Anticipating what cybersecurity issues will be most prevalent in 2022 will help you and your team develop comprehensive security plans and defensive networks to repel hostile hackers.

The top cybersecurity predictions for 2022

State-sponsored cyber threats will continue to rise

The years 2020 and 2021 saw several nations using cyberattacks to promote their agendas. Similarly, the rest of 2022 will likely see the current players further their regional interests by capitalizing on cybersecurity vulnerabilities in digital infrastructures. In response, new entrants will play the field to restore regional and global power balance. 

Major state actors, including Russia, Iran, China and North Korea, will maintain their aggressive posture throughout the year. Russia will pursue its interests related to NATO, Eastern Europe and Afghanistan. Iran will continue to try and sabotage Israel and operate in the Middle East to shift the balance of power in the region. On the other hand, China will use cyber threats to further its Belt and Road initiative and eliminate the regional roadblocks it is facing in South East Asia. 

Organizations will rapidly adopt a zero-trust approach to cybersecurity

The Apache Log4j vulnerability revealed the fragility of defence systems worldwide. Prompted by this event, and many others, companies are likely to strengthen their zero-trust cybersecurity stance. Notably, American President Biden has already made it mandatory for federal agencies to adopt a zero-trust approach in all their digital dealings. Commercial players are likely to follow this stance as ransomware attacks continue to rise. 

According to UK's National Cybersecurity Center, the first half of 2021 witnessed three times the ransomware attacks observed in 2019. Further, 61% of executives expect this number to grow this year. 

Companies will build cybersecurity strategies via micro-segmentation and asserted identity to prevent lateral movement among critical systems. 

Compromised supply chains will remain lucrative targets

The year 2021 saw some of the most significant attacks on supply chains worldwide. These attacks demonstrated the devastating effects cyber attacks can have on supply chains. The SolarWinds, Colonial Pipeline and Kaseya VSA Zero-Day breaches are examples of what we can expect in 2022. All these attacks involved the compromise of multiple systems despite formidable cybersecurity measures being in place, which increases the pressure on security executives to limit lateral movement after the breach. 

More vigilant network monitoring, advanced telemetry, threat hunting and the zero-trust approach are critical to keeping these threats at bay. 

The dynamic upheaval in the job market will lead to a rise in insider threats

The year 2021 saw record-breaking numbers of employee churn. As startups balloon in size and the competition to attract talent grows, we'll continue to see more and more employees shifting jobs. The potential risks related to employees quitting while still having access to private networks and sensitive data will need to be contained by security professionals. Companies should keep data and networks secure under these fluid circumstances. 

AI-powered cybersecurity solutions will dominate the market

AI is a significant development in cybersecurity technology today. Much like how AI works for the insurance industry in fraud detection, it can work in other domains to counter cyber threats by identifying nefarious behaviour patterns. AI will potentially be able to keep a watch on systems that undergo thousands of transactions every second while requiring continuous monitoring. 

Research by Capgemini shows that nearly 75% of businesses are already relying on AI to strengthen their cybersecurity posture. But this is not to say it can replace manual supervision. Manual intervention is necessary in most cases to identify sporadic or new threats. Moreover, only manual penetration testers can delve deep into systems to detect latent vulnerabilities. 

While the outlook for 2022 appears to be grim, with most cybersecurity predictions and trends forecasting aggressive threat actors, we also see a better response with new legislative and regulatory environments to counter new threats. Companies need to remain vigilant and focused on cyber defence to thwart attacks and secure their systems and consumer data. 

Contact Packetlabs today to secure your IT infrastructure in a constantly changing threat landscape.