Top Cybersecurity Trends 2022

Last year was one of the worst times for cybersecurity. With the accelerated digitization that many companies have undergone in recent months, we have seen numerous attacks. And the forecasts for 2022 are no better.

In fact, some 281.5 million people have been affected by a data breach in 2021. Meanwhile, cybercrime costs companies $1.79 million per minute, leaving us with a rather worrying cybersecurity picture.

Most senior business leaders see cybersecurity as an operational priority to secure their business in response to this. So what does 2022 hold for cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity trends 2022

The continuous improvement and development of technology and recent cyber threats have triggered a change in the cybersecurity trends of 2022. These are the most important ones.

Zero Trust

Let’s imagine a castle and a moat. If we are inside the castle, the threats are outside because the perimeter outside the moat remains protected. If we translate this metaphor to a digital environment, the problem comes when a user assumes that, with the right access credentials, he can move freely around the system and trust that nothing will happen.

This is the most common situation: no matter how many security defenses organizations erect, as soon as an unsuspecting user clicks on a malicious link or attachment, it allows cybercriminals to compromise systems. In fact, it’s why phishing and ransomware are so damaging.

The zero trust model restricts network access to only those who need it. Access is granted to authorized users using patterns based on identity, time, and device based on contextual awareness, and default access is eliminated. Everything must now pass security protocols such as access control steps and user identity verification.

Security-as-a-Service

Ransomware and malware threats are causing many companies to increasingly look to cloud security-as-a-service solutions. These solutions are typically provided by a managed service provider (MSP) or managed security service provider (MSSP).

This modality offers a larger team of technology experts with broader and more diverse product and process knowledge. In addition, the cost is reduced since, for the same amount as a fixed IT professional, you get the services of a security expert, an OS administrator, virtualization administrator, network administrator, ad hoc troubleshooting, etc.

Awareness and user training

A report by Infosec indicates that around 97% of people globally do not know how to identify a phishing email. Thus, human error remains a significant factor in many data breaches, showing that traditional digital security awareness approaches are ineffective. And as cyber threats become more aggressive, organizations are taking other steps to strengthen their security.

In addition to implementing more sophisticated firewalls and IT protocols, companies now advocate increasing the capabilities of their staff with training. Awareness campaigns have become obsolete; a new security culture (SBCP) is being promoted where new ways of thinking are taught, and new behaviors are incorporated to create more secure working methods. Many companies are even creating policies focused on how employees handle and share sensitive corporate data.

Machine Learning

It is one of the most recent trends in cybersecurity, but the role of machine learning is growing and has become more proactive. One of the reasons is that cybersecurity becomes simpler, more effective, and less costly with Machine Learning (ML).

This technology relies on sophisticated data to produce effective algorithms, and it develops patterns and manipulates them, anticipating and responding to active attacks in real-time. In other words, implementing ML enables cybersecurity systems to analyze threat patterns and learn the behaviors of cybercriminals, thereby helping to prevent similar attacks in the future and reducing the amount of time cybersecurity experts need to spend on routine tasks.

Cloud security

Thanks to the significant advantages offered by cloud solutions, more and more companies are migrating to the cloud. However, for the cloud to be secure, an innovative predictive security model must be adopted to combat cyber attackers.

This model can identify threats before attackers begin their movement. As a result, companies implementing predictive security cloud have exponentially increased their ROI. And if we talk more broadly about industries, they have also been on board with leveraging multifactor authentication to strengthen security.

GDPR Compliance

The general data protection regulation is one of the most important tools of the European Union in managing data privacy. In fact, it is extrapolated not only for inhabitants in any member state but for all companies marketing goods or services to EU residents. Therefore, the GDPR has a significant impact on global data protection requirements.

It imposes a uniform and consistent data security law, eliminating the need for each state to write its own law on personal data, which further protects consumers.

Distributing Decisions

In the face of a potential cyberattack scenario, business cybersecurity needs and expectations are maturing and shifting towards a more agile security model. Therefore, the scope, scale, and complexity of digital business require that cybersecurity decisions, responsibility, and accountability be distributed across organizational units, departing from a centralized function.

This is why the role of the CISO (Chief Information Security Officer) has shifted from that of a technical subject matter expert to that of an executive risk manager. But, as we said above, a single centralized cybersecurity function is not agile enough to meet today’s business needs. CISOs must reconceptualize their roles to empower business leaders, making it easier to make their own informed risk decisions.

Cybersecurity mesh

The current security product consolidation trend is driving the integration of security architecture components. However, there are still some kinks to be worked out in consistent security policies, enabling workflows, and exchanging data between consolidated solutions.

Therefore, a cybersecurity mesh architecture (CSMA) helps provide a standard, integrated security structure and posture to protect all assets in data centers and the cloud.

Future of cybersecurity

No one knows precisely what the future holds for cybersecurity, and many industries are still trying to figure out how to strengthen their networks amid the current chaos.

These 2022 trends may alarm many organizations, but they also provide insight into what we can expect in the coming years. In fact, more than $100 million is predicted to be spent on protecting organizations alone, an amount never seen before. This makes it clear that security software developers and administrators will have their hands full over the next few years.

At Plain Concepts, we help you develop a strategy that protects your assets and employees. In fact, our experience has led us to be Microsoft Security Partner of the Year 2022. Want to know more?