10 Cybersecurity Predictions for 2018

Cybersecurity is now the topmost concern for all organizations. Given what happened in the previous years - the Equifax breach, WannaCry, Peta, Phishing scams, etc., 2018 is considered to be a terrifying year. Technology is getting better and so are the hackers.The predictions are that 2018 will be the year of a machine-on-machine attack. AI cyberattacks will be almost impossible for humans to stop. To prevent the future attacks, your cybersecurity solution should be advanced and based on Artificial Intelligence.From the advancement of Artificial Intelligence to the continued growth of mobile devices, things are in favor of cybercriminals. It is a wake-up call for all organizations to take security measures to prevent hacking.

Let’s Check Out the Cybersecurity Predictions for 2018

1. Many companies will not be GDPR-compliant by the deadline.As per regulations, all companies operating in the EU should be GDPR-compliant by 25th May 2018. But the regulation is still poorly misunderstood, and this will create a panic. The report claims that 50% of the organizations will not choose to be compliant, as they claim that the cost to become compliant will be more than the risks.

2. Cybercriminals will focus on cryptocurrencies.Crime follows money, and since prices on cryptocurrencies are rising high, cybercriminals will more actively target the coins and exchanges.

3. AI-Powered AttacksAs the cyberattacks become more refined, 2018 will not only be a worse year for more data breaches, but also for more cyberattacks powered by Artificial Intelligence. By deploying the AI cyberattacks, hackers will be able to automate the hacks and hence will learn about the machine they hack to identify its vulnerabilities. To fight against AI-Powered attacks, organizations should adopt an AI-based cybersecurity solution.

4. More Mobile ThreatsIn 2017, an increasing amount of unique mobile ransomware samples were observed. To deliver the malware to the biggest audience, hackers will exploit the Google Play store by attacking the Android mobile OS.

5. Cloud security will be a top priority concern.As the number of companies is growing, the cloud adoption rate has risen. Cloud security is a top concern for 70% of IT Professionals. The loss of data is the worry for half of them. The top three cloud security concerns are unauthorized access, malware, and DoS attacks. Although cloud providers try to secure the cloud environment, the majority of users don't believe that their data is safe.

6. Ransomware and IoTRansomware will target more IoT devices in 2018. Now, people will have more Internet-connected devices in everything. We will see those devices get locked up by ransomware.

7. A Rise in State-Sponsored AttacksWhen it comes to state-sponsored attacks, the intention goes beyond monetary value. These attacks are political in nature, and they don’t target any business or person. Their method of hacking is different from common cyberattacks. The motive of these attacks is to manipulate the current or future event to drive public attention. They can lead to the risk of national security as well.

8. Breaches will get worse.The year 2017 was the worst year if we talk about data breaches. It almost doubled from 2016 to 2017. We have seen massive attacks like those on Equifax and Uber.  More data breaches are reported year after year. The MIT Technology Review says large data breaches will get worse in 2018 and expects more attacks like the Equifax and Uber attacks in 2017.

9. The Decline of Password-Only AuthenticationSeeing all the data breaches and attacks, we can say that using only password authentication is not safe enough. To secure your online accounts, there should be an alternative to a password like Multi-Factor Authentication, Risk Factor Authentication, etc. Now, companies demand stronger authentication so they will not have to rely on password-only authentication anymore.

10. CyberwarIn 2018, we can further see the escalation of international conflicts in cyberspace. This may disrupt the normal operations of government and financial systems. We can expect cyberborders across the Internet.