• March 17, 2022
  • Catagory cybersecurity

 Key Cybersecurity Trends for 2022

By : Justin Folkerts

As we wrap up the first quarter of the year, some trends are emerging around cybersecurity that affect businesses of all sizes.

Not surprisingly, these trends are being driven by the impact of the pandemic, as remote work continues, and organizations look to establish a new normal of flexible work hours and hybrid teams.

Cybersecurity is getting more expensive

The cost of securing the organization is going up, and so is the cost of not having robust security. According to a report released last year, the global average cost of a data breach surpassed 4 million U.S. dollars. These costs are attributable to lost revenue and lost customers, fines for non-compliance, and even ransomware payouts. For larger organizations, it’s the cost of doing business, but for smaller ones, it can mean the end. Investing in cybersecurity is also expensive, but it’s an investment that pays off in the long run.

People are the deciding factor

Social engineering remains a preferred tactic of bad actors when it comes to gaining access to systems, stealing data, and disrupting systems. Ransomware continues to be one of the most popular types of attacks, and remote work has made it easier for threat actors to target vulnerable users. This means training employees with sufficient security awareness is more critical than ever so they can spot a phishing email and understand the need to adhere to security policies. Given that passwords remain integral to managing access, there’s an increase in adoption of biometrics to add an additional layer of security to turn people into their own password by using their individual characteristics to facilitate access.

The bad guys are getting smarter

Threat actors see the benefit of honing their skills because it makes them more successful, especially when the motivation is money. Whether it’s remote work or other circumstances, they’re always looking for new avenues with vulnerabilities they can exploit. As organizations adopt new ways of working, including flexible hours and workspaces for employees, cybercriminals are going to look for windows where they can access data and disrupt systems.

One trend that’s been clear since before the pandemic is that security can not be just an issue for IT to manage. If organizations are to implement effective cybersecurity, they need the support of the C-suite who can lead by example and provide budgetary support with and understanding that cybersecurity impacts the bottom line.