NetworkTigers cybersecurity predictions for 2024. Are you ready for what’s to come?
As 2024 marches closer, cybersecurity experts are preparing their annual cybersecurity predictions describing the changes and trends likely over the next year and how administrators may be able to navigate the cyber landscape safely and confidently.
This is what researchers expect to see unfold:
Fewer but highly compensated cybersecurity professionals
Researchers expect that the shortage of skilled cybersecurity administrators will increase in severity as 2024 progresses. With security professionals already feeling that the personnel shortage has weakened defenses and spread staff thin in their organizations, the lapse will likely worsen before it gets better.
To remedy this scenario, it is expected that salaries for qualified employees will rise and more time and capital will be invested in training and educating IT staff to keep pace with demand.
AI used more frequently on both sides of the battle
Over the last few years, cybersecurity predictions about how AI will reshape the digital battlefield have been in ample supply. While each year brings about overly dramatic chatter regarding the severity of AI-powered cyberattacks and their disastrous impact, it can’t be denied that generative AI will continue to be leveraged by threat actors in damaging ways.
Whether through deepfake social engineering scams or AI-enhanced malware that can intelligently adapt to its environment to dynamically avoid detection, machine learning will continue to add deep levels of sophistication to attacks that were previously simple to identify and mitigate.
To keep up with these advancements, cybersecurity defenses must employ AI-enhanced features that can quickly pivot to stave off similarly equipped invaders.
Internet of Things devices will continue to be prime targets
The interconnectedness of the devices we use daily, from our mobile phones and tablets to appliances, TVs, and home security systems, will continue to provide holes through which cyberattackers can wreak havoc.
Despite the Internet of Things (IoT) making every security expert’s list of cautions, little has been done by the industry to put forth security standards to lessen the danger inherent to devices built for convenience with little in the way of defenses.
With internet connectivity in seemingly harmless devices showing no sign of slowing down, we can expect IoT security concerns and breaches to continue to pose a threat through 2024 as individuals and IT staff struggle to patch holes.
Increasingly sophisticated phishing attacks and social engineering
As cybersecurity has been generally bolstered across the board, thanks to a greater awareness of the importance of having protections in place, criminals have become increasingly reliant on tricking targets through phishing and social engineering scams.
Historically, telltale typos and poor grammar often exposed the illegitimacy of an email or text. Sadly, easily identifiable errors are a thing of the past thanks to generative AI models such as ChatGPT. These platforms enable attackers to create more accurate messaging tailored to a specific target or demographic without mistakes.
Voice calls, previously a surefire way to ensure that you’re engaging with the person you think you are, will no longer be safe. Deepfake voice messages will mean that even a phone call with your boss or family member is no longer guaranteed to be legitimate.
This kind of deception can’t be rejected through a virus blocker or malware scanner. Because identifying and avoiding such attacks requires a great deal of personal awareness and protocol, we can expect even more emphasis on employee training in the coming year.
An emphasis on “cyber resilience”
While every organization aims to prevent cyberattacks, experts predict that weathering a hack without significant disruption will become prioritized in 2024.
This focus on “cyber resilience” results from administrators acknowledging that achieving 100% safety from attack is unrealistic.
Organizations in 2024 are expected to build strategies into their security that allow them to continue operations safely, even if a breach or attack occurs. Whereas cyberattacks have a history of bringing companies to their knees, such severe paralysis will likely become less common as IT teams build redundancies and recovery strategies into their systems that lessen the impact.
Cybersecurity insurance will be harder to get
In 2024, experts predict a wave of insurance policy cancellations and a scramble to secure new plans, likely with much higher rates.
Organizations pummeled by relentless attacks have caused cybersecurity insurance providers to be more reluctant to offer coverage without a significant degree of due diligence on the part of the customer.
This will further elevate the importance of cyber resilience, as insurance providers will have higher expectations for the cybersecurity protections and protocols needed to maintain coverage.
The USB-C standard will make malicious connections easier
Advancements and regional regulations have ushered in the era of the USB-C connection. While the convenience of having a single type of universal connection, especially one that won’t require you to struggle to plug it in in the proper orientation, is welcome news to consumers, it also will make it easier than ever for hackers who opt for malicious hardware to spread their wares or infect their targets.
Admittedly, physically connecting to a device or network is not the most common way today’s hackers operate. However, any standardization that results in the public conforming to a single port connection removes several barriers between attackers and their victims.
Increased cybersecurity regulations
World governments are taking cybercrime seriously, with the US creating various programs and initiatives to maintain national security and protect the economy.
2022 saw the passing of the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act and the Better Cybercrime Metrics Act, both designed to facilitate the sharing and cataloging of information related to attacks.
October 31st of 2023 saw President Joe Biden issue the Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence, which set forth a great deal of federal principles around the implementation of AI while also seeking to place the US in a leadership role for AI regulations.
On the same day, four dozen countries, including the US, pledged not to pay ransomware ransoms in an attempt to cut off threat actors from their most lucrative schemes. While the pledge shows a unified front against cybercrime, experts point out that no actual laws against paying up are included in the deal. Private enterprises will likely continue to pay demands despite being told they “shouldn’t.”
These national and global cybersecurity summits, pledges, and executive orders will continue into 2024 and beyond. As cyber threats advance and become more lucrative and damaging, regulatory bodies must start adding teeth to their laws, creating material incentives that encourage organizations not to engage with criminals.
Cyberwarfare will become commonplace
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has put the power that can be wielded in cyberspace into sharp focus. From disinformation campaigns and propaganda to outright attacks, the prospective “cyber battlefield” has been realized, and the cybersecurity predictions of previous years are now taking place in real-time.
Global instability and endless friction between countries at odds, many of them with populations of capable developers, are expected to fuel further state-sponsored hacks carried out on critical infrastructure.
Deepfake technology will continue to exacerbate the issue as politically motivated fraudulent images, videos, and audio fabrications of world leaders and politicians will become nearly impossible to distinguish from legitimate recordings. Shutdowns of utility providers and transportation services have immediate, dramatic effects. Experts are showing an equal, if not even greater, concern over the ability to influence and manage public sentiment using AI-assisted phonies.
During 2024, security professionals are bracing for what is expected to be a tsunami of potentially real-looking efforts to delegitimize the democratic process in world elections.
