ESET Cybersecurity Trends 2020: One of the issues that will attract global interest in 2020 is the US presidential election, and it is certain that there will again be allegations of fraud and falsification of the election result, as stated in the ESET report on cybersecurity trends that will prevail next year.
In addition to rigging the election procedures, in the report "Cybersecurity Trends 2020: Technology is getting smarter - are we?ESET experts' forecasts for the key challenges that are expected to affect consumers and businesses in 2020 are analyzed.
Trend # 1: The "fake news" landscape is even more hazy
The term "fake news» came to the fore due to the outcry caused by the falsification of information and data in the 2016 US election, and there is no doubt that this will again be a point of contention in the 2020 campaign. Although a fine of US$5 billion was imposed in the Facebook for his role in the scandal Cambridge Analytica, Tony Anscombe, ESET Global Security Evangelist, believes that the "arming" of information will continue in 2020.
Anscombe points out: "Whether it's disinformation or propaganda, the 'weaponisation' of information will not stop," adding that "We continue to see massive breaches of data and systems in corporate and government services, so why should the electoral process be an exception to such attacks?"
Trend # 2: Machine Learning: Enhancing or Threatening Security?
We are still far from an everyday life with Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, however machine learning (ML) has penetrated our lives for good, making significant progress. It is one of the most remarkable technological developments in history, with exciting opportunities for the cybersecurity industry, but, at the same time, cybercriminals are eyeing it to increase the scope and complexity of their attacks.
Deepfakes are a technique based on machine learning, and Jake Moore, ESET Security Specialist, predicts that the use of ML by cybercriminals will increase in 2019. "The quality of deepfakes is growing at an impressive rate," he writes, "and In the future, this technology may be used frequently to harm public figures, making them seem to say what the creator of deepfakes wants. People should learn to be wary of even the most realistic videos.
Trend # 3: Privacy: Time to change your mindset
Although in 2019 in several countries new laws have been passed or implemented, or privacy breach legislation expanded, mistrust surrounding the use of personal data is pervasive. In the view of Lysa Myers, Senior Security Researcher at ESET, the problem will continue to exist unless fines are imposed for privacy violations on large companies.
Myers reiterates the view of the International Association of Privacy Professionals, which advises companies to operate with respect for privacy. "Companies that succeed in doing this are likely to gain a significant market advantage," he says. He also points out that, as trust in usernames and passwords, organizations will need to develop the use of multi-factor authentication.
Trend # 4: Smart and precarious cities?
The smart cities and smart buildings are the trend of the future as technology becomes more and more a big part of our daily lives. More than 80% of new buildings incorporate at least some IoT components, however, experts have expressed concern that there is a rapid growth of smart cities, but not a correspondingly fast rate of security shielding.
Many smart devices and systems do not have strong authentication protocols or are not protected at all by a security solution. According to Cecilia Pastorino, ESET Security Researcher, the attacks malware in smart cities is an important issue. As he explains: "Even though the systems that make up smart buildings and cities don't browse the web or open emails, they still need protection from malicious programs".
Trend # 5: Digital transformation
The need for companies to adapt to an increasingly digital world is not new, but there is a particular trend associated with digital transformation that threatens organizations: increasing employee mobility.
Camilo Gutiérrez Amaya, ESET Senior Security Researcher, notes: often takes place without taking into account the need for protection ".
"In the coming months we will see organizations make significant changes in almost all areas of their business. The common element that will govern all these changes will be the way of managing the information and data related to their functions ", he concludes.
More information on the trends that will affect the cybersecurity industry in 2020 can be found in the report: "Cybersecurity Trends 2020: Technology is getting smarter - are we? '.
