What can we expect from cybersecurity in 2018?

2017 was a year of drama and hacking revelations, from the UBER scandal to the Bitcoin troubles, we have seen more limelight on data breaches this year. The US Securities and Exchange Commission announced that an on-going hack from 2016 is having implications until today.

This seems to be a never-ending cycle that continuously bites you back. According to Gemalto, since 2013, over nine billion records have been lost, stolen and compromised. Most of these data breaches were the cause of poor internal security practices.

In 2017, we are witnessing 13 percent increase in data breaches compared to the last half of 2016 and a 164 percent increase in stolen, lost or compromised records, according to Gemalto’s 2017 report.

This brings us to the question of what can we expect in 2018?

The use of AI and machine learning

As AI is starting to take over our society, we are now looking at opportunities of AI and machine learning to help deal with hacking and cybersecurity. Many companies today are looking to create machine learning models that can predict and identify attacks. AI might actually help to solve the worldwide hacking problem, however, it may also pose a risk. If things are becoming more digitized, this may lead to more hacking as well.

More professionals

With the rise of data breaches, more professionals are coming together to create a stronger defence. Many organizations and cybersecurity experts are working together to create a common language. More companies in the cybersecurity field will appear, as a high-ranked need in our society today. So as much as cybersecurity breaches are appearing, so are defence systems.

The use of IoT

Hackers now are not only limited to your traditional PC threat, with the development of technology today, these threats are now available towards Internet of Things (IoT). Many of these devices still lack security features, which is a dangerous thought for the future. This, however, would probably mean the development of IoTs and more advanced security results.

Increase in cybercrime

Unfortunately, with the rise of cybercrime these days, it will be more likely that this will increase in 2018. According to CSO Online, cybercrime will more than triple the number of unfulfilled cybersecurity jobs, reaching 3.5 million by 2021. All IT employees are now responsible to learn about the threats that may appear. The lack of this industry will definitely push for more cyber defenders out there, however, in the meantime, we are facing a number of threats along the way.

The threats of serverless apps

Serverless apps are known to be applications built with serverless architectures, which can be defined as applications that depend on third-party services or Backend as a Service (BaaS). Our dependency on apps today make it a powerful tool for hackers to come and take control. This means there will need to be more application testing. Ensure your security is functional and effective. We are probably looking at more knowledge in the field of app security and testing, in order to combat cybercrimes through apps.

More support from brands

From whatever brand your device was purchased from, most brands will come with warranties and a security team. This profession and division will most likely increase as technology brands out there will not leave your device unprotected. For example, brands like Lenovo has the Lenovo Security Vault, run by their Lenovo’s Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT). Here, they provide support with all their devices, where if breaches happen, you may report to them directly or you may also look at their Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) dictionary.

There are many trends that may happen in 2018, it is just up to us to brace for impact and take on any situation wisely. This brings us to the conclusion that no matter what happens, we must always stay aware and prepared.

This article was sourced from Think Progress, the official Lenovo blog.