EDITOR’S QUESTION
WHAT PREDICTIONS
WOULD YOU MAKE FOR
THE CYBERSECURITY
LANDSCAPE IN 2018?
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W
ith the new year behind us
our thoughts turn to what will
happen to the security landscape
over the next 12 months.
Mahmoud Mounir, regional director of
Secureworks, gives us his predictions for the
cybersecurity landscape of 2018.
As the new year begins, cyber threats such
as ransomware will continue to pose a
serious threat to enterprises and individuals
around the globe, especially as the method
continues to prove profitable and offers
virtual untraceability for cybercriminals.
Targeted ransomware attacks on
enterprises are also likely to be on the
rise, as companies have the capital to
pay higher ransoms than individuals.
Criminals will continue to become more
sophisticated, better resourced, and more
patient, and will look to target businesses
with higher value ransoms.
Business email compromise (BEC) and
business email spoofing (BES) attacks
will also continue. This is where threat
actors profit from sending emails to
employees who have access to company
funds, and from compromising the
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computer, email account, or email server of
the victim organisation in order to intercept
and alter, or initiate business transactions.
Targeted attacks on banks will likely
remain a threat, especially as organised
criminal organisations engage in online
banking fraud as a means of generating
income. Some organisations will focus on
non-European and US banks, which are
perceived to have weaker security controls
and less robust business processes than
most of the major Western banks. However,
malware targeting is diverse and not limited
to major banks. Wealth management
companies and their high-net-worth
customers will also be targeted, as are
payroll processing portals.
The dependability on AI/machine
learning in cybersecurity will continue in
2018, as more cybersecurity professionals
and companies understand the benefits
of an AI/machine learning in the way
of streamlining and enhancing threat
detection and response, especially when
coupled with human threat analysis.
Internet of Things vulnerabilities will
also be increasingly targeted by criminals,
especially as the IoT network is fast
expanding its user base with the likes of
smart home assistants, smart cars, and all
smart ‘things’. For example, one Secureworks
researcher discovered eight vulnerabilities
in his own smart automobile, which would
allow unauthorised users to unlock the doors
or gain the vehicle’s location.
The shortage of skilled cybersecurity
workers will continue, proved by the zero
percent unemployment rate, according to
Gartner. However, the industry should do more
than just attract existing talent in the pool,
it must ensure that it is both nurturing and
retaining that talent for the long-term future.
We also must focus on inspiring young talent.
Cloud security will become a greater
priority for businesses, as more companies
move their data to the cloud. When
companies move IT assets to the cloud,
they have an opportunity to realise cost
savings, accelerate innovation, and improve
IT performance. However, the benefits
of cloud usage come with data security
dangers. As such, there will be an increased
need for cloud security consulting,
especially in light of the upcoming GDPR
regulation. We spoke to three more experts
about their thoughts concerning the
changing security landscape.
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