Where is cybersecurity heading at the start of a new decade?

A look at the trends that we can expect to see during 2020

In an ever-more connected world that is more technologically advanced and where technologies that are a central part of our daily lives are continuously evolving, cybersecurity risk is growing exponentially. We have an almost blind faith that technology will solve many of our problems, both personally and globally, but with a connected world come opportunities for criminals and others to take advantage either for money or with political aims in mind.

We all know the buzzwords, such as seamless connectivity, digital transformation and the internet of things (IoT) where appliances that have become a critical part of our daily actions can actually pose a serious security threat.

Data on what we are doing at any particular moment of the day can be found on several platforms, such as in datacenters and in the cloud. Clearly, this trend is set to gather pace. Although these changes have brought great benefit to our daily lives, there is also a large cost because increasing connectivity also makes our data more susceptible to being observed. Fraudsters can clone our identities and

What are likely to be the main trends in cybersecurity in 2020? Below, I identify a few:

The power of artificial intelligence (AI) will increase

With 2020 being a presidential election year in the US, expect even more fake news and trends to be spread by state players and others. Remember what happened during the 2016 election campaign? This time, it will be even more intense.

Just as AI is used to fight crime and speed up security responses, criminal elements can use the same techniques to get into networks and look for weak points and thus develop malware that can evade the security. That's because the basis for most security detection engines are created using man-made logic. The problem is ensuring that the very latest techniques and systems are created to fight any threats. AI is used to identify constantly evolving threats and so that attacks are dealt with before they can cause damage, but cybercriminals are using the same logic to probe systems and steal data and cause mayhem.

Expect cyber space to become frostier as cyber cold war builds up

As mentioned above, 2020 is an election year in the United States and set to be another controversial one with claims and counter-claims being splashed across our media. As in 2016, Russia will likely be investing huge resources in helping to sow discord within the US electorate.

In addition, there is a new type of Cold War taking place, this time in cyber space as the United States and its technology giants fight to defend their intellectual property from constant attempts by China to secure that information.

This will become even more complex since the trade tariffs battle between the US and China means there is a great deal at stake for both sides. It's possible that China will use proxies or other unidentifiable elements to fight this battle.

Attacks on utilities and critical infrastructure will certainly continue to be targets of cyberattacks. Governments everywhere need to significantly invest in strengthening the cyber defenses of their most importantinfrastructure.

Ensure your personal banking data is safe

The first six months alone of 2019 witnessed a 50% jump on the year in mobile banking malware. Personal payment data, credentials and funds are at risk. You can be sure that cyberattackers will continue to try and persuade innocent people to make that one click on our mobile phones and tablets that will give them the entry point they desire.

The range of cybercriminals' tricks is set to expand: anything from a simple email and text to attempts via social media and even gaming platforms. Wherever and whatever you use most often to communicate is exactly where the attacks will come from.

5G rollout makes IoT devices even more open to attack

5G networks will bring huge benefits, with vastly faster download and communications services.

The downside is that it will also make IoT devices much more vulnerable to large-scale 5th generation cyberattacks. What's worse is that the security of IoT devices and their connections to networks and clouds are already relatively poor. The volume of personal data that requires protection against cyber-attacks is constantly increasing and 5G will make it even  more vulnerable. How can existing and new systems defend growing networks from homes to industry, government and business?

Forecast: clouds need to become more secure

As with illnesses, prevention is the cure to being secure in the cloud. Detection is great, but prevention prevents criminals getting.

From individuals to the biggest companies and organizations, they mostly run most of their workloads in the cloud, however is understanding about security in the cloud sufficiently high?

There is no doubt that the development of security solutions that provide flexible, cloud-based architectures bringing protection that can be quickly scaled.

A moving story: vehicle hacking and data theft rising

Modern vehicles come with an extraordinary range data-filled devices, including your GPS, sensors, in-car communication and entertainment platforms. Frankly, they are dream for hackers and data thieves looking to make relatively easy money.

Think that's far-fetched? The criminals could access email accounts and our personal information, or get into the cloud services where our data is routinely sent for storage and analysis. With so much information easily accessed and collected, they are resold on the black market.

Beyond that, the digital controls and safety features of modern cars and other vehicles can be hijacked. Just look at autonomous cars and imagine how their controls can be taken over. Thankfully, the car industry and lawmakers are taking this seriously. The debate on these issues will certainly broaden this year, with the safety of self-driving vehicles and the regulatory arena in which they operate will develop.

Urgent need to fill cybersecurity skills gap

Some researchers believe that the number of unfilled cybersecurity positions will rise to 3.5 million this year compared with about 1 million in 2014. Given all the problems areas outlined above, this skills shortage should set alarm bells ringing.

It is to be hoped that the huge spread of technologies and solutions will make us all – whether those in the security industry or consumers – think about how to better understand and prepare for what's coming. In 2020, cyberattacks are increasingly not a question of if, but of how and when they will occur.