It goes without saying, but in this day and age cyberattacks have become all too common.
Sadly, with so many businesses moving online in recent years (mainly due to COVID protocols) personal data and the internal processes of companies around the world are more at risk than ever before.
It’s unprecedented, but cybercrime has surged since the pandemic hit, causing massive disruptions and security deficiencies for companies and billions of dollars in losses.
Whether you’re a business owner or an individual who uses the internet, you can’t help but be troubled by the increase in cybercrime.
If you want to ward off hackers and avoid becoming another victim, it’s imperative that you’re prepared for the latest cyber threats to you or your company.
Luckily, in this article, we’re going to be exploring the top 5 cybersecurity trends going into 2022 to help educate our readers in the fight against cybercrime.
Top 5 Cybersecurity Trends Going Into Next Year
5. Geo-Targeted Phishing
Phishing isn’t a new threat when it comes to cybersecurity. Hackers have been using this method for many years to bait users into clicking on links in order to steal their information.
With that said, today’s phishing threats are more personalized and take place on a local level through the use of geo-targeting.
If you or your company have been receiving personalized emails or text messages from unknown sources, then it’s likely you’ve already run into a phishing threat.
Some of these messages may even appear to be coming from well-known companies or individuals. Unfortunately, this is how hackers trick you into forfeiting your data.
To thwart this, companies around the globe are investing in cybersecurity awareness programs to educate their staff on the latest phishing threats.
4. New Cyberthreats Harming Various Industries & Verticals
Health Care
Healthcare organizations worldwide are losing billions of dollars thanks to data violations.
The leading cause of these data breaches in the healthcare sector is the relaxing of firewall rules.
Many health care organizations have felt the need to disable or pull back firewalls during the pandemic.
While organizations are doing this to benefit their staff while they work remotely, it has, unfortunately, opened the door to cybercriminals looking to steal sensitive information and personal data about employees and patients.
This is why many health care organizations have been implementing new security requirements (including HIPAA compliance) in order to protect health information.
Higher Education
Health care isn’t the only vertical seeing a rise in cybercrime, higher education has also taken a hit recently. Thanks to the rise in online learning, the personal data of students and faculty is now more at risk than ever before.
Luckily, many higher education institutions are beginning to take cybersecurity seriously and ramping up their efforts to ensure the data of their students and staff are secure.
Financial Services
Financial institutions have been seeing a significant rise in cyber attacks over the past year, and many experts believe this trend will continue through 2022 and beyond.
While many institutions have been doing their best to keep up with cloud migration and regulations, they’ve been prone to phishing attacks, mainly through social media sites and other messaging apps.
Additionally, financial organizations have also been facing malware/ransomware attacks, and data breaches. These types of cyberthreats have led to billions of dollars in losses for financial institutions worldwide.
3. Smartphones & Other Mobile Devices Being Used as Attack Vectors
One of the biggest trends for retailers since the pandemic has been a massive move to online selling. As a result, the e-commerce space has seen significant growth since 2020.
With more retailers selling products and services online, however, the risk for customer data breaches is now at an all-time high.
This is because most of the e-commerce platforms and software used by online retailers can easily be accessed from a mobile device.
Cybercriminals are now using mobile devices (like smartphones and tablets) as attack vectors.
Hacking into a customer’s mobile device has become a simple way to steal personal and highly sensitive information when a user is shopping for products and services, booking hotel rooms, and accessing their bank accounts.
In fact, 70% of all fraudulent transactions occur using mobile devices. As you can see, it’s a massive issue that is likely to continue into next year and will need to be addressed.
2. Building Awareness
As cybercriminals become more aggressive in their attempts to harm businesses around the globe, many organizations have put a strong emphasis on strengthening their cybersecurity awareness.
In addition to educating their staff — by adopting cybersecurity awareness programs — organizations have also been focusing on building awareness for their users as well.
Internal training efforts are helping staff identify and prevent cyberattacks, while user awareness is being utilized to educate regular users and/or customers on common cyberthreats.
All of these efforts are likely to continue into the next year, through the use of cybersecurity-related visual aids and training programs.
It’s one small step to help organizations protect important information, prevent data breaches, and enhance their security.
1. AI & Machine Learning For Proactive Cybersecurity
With the advancements in AI and machine learning software in recent years, businesses around the world finally have a means to be proactive when it comes to cybersecurity.
Most machine learning cybersecurity solutions on the market today can predict and address cyberthreats in real-time, making cybersecurity easier, less costly, and more effective than ever before.
Many organizations have implemented machine learning and AI to enable them to thoroughly analyze potential cybersecurity risks and educate them on cybercriminal behavior.
This proactive approach helps companies avoid future attacks and data breaches, and minimizes the time needed for cybersecurity experts to fulfil their normal duties and tasks.
How Can You Defend Yourself Against Cyber Threats in 2022?
As you can see, going into 2022, cybersecurity is destined to be a high priority for organizations in almost every industry, niche, and vertical (if it isn’t already).
With the rise in cybercrime negatively impacting so many businesses and individuals worldwide, those who don’t address these cyberthreats are putting themselves at serious risk.
These 5 cybersecurity trends going into next year should help you plan and prepare cybersecurity threats you might face in 2022 and beyond.
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