With rising instances of data breaches, organisations are realising that cyber security needs to be more than an afterthought. Hackers are increasingly getting smarter and spreading their wings beyond phishing attacks to target everything from stolen credentials to cloud misconfigurations to the remote access tools (RATs).
Over the years, cyber security has emerged as the most discussed area of concern in organisations across the globe. As we usher in 2020, the scope of discussion needs to go beyond the upcoming security products and services to new innovations in the security industry. As per IDC, global spending on cyber security will touch $103 billion in 2020.
Some of the key cyber cecurity trends to watch out in the year ahead are:
1) Privacy and personal data protection will take center stage
With the draft Personal Data Protection Bill getting the nod at the cabinet, the focus on data privacy is set to reach a tipping point in 2020. Organisations will invest in aligning their infrastructure to the requirements in the Personal Data Protection Bill to gain business edge and avoid penalties.
2) Cyber Defense Centers (CDCs)
While breaches and cyberattacks are unavoidable in this digital world, the challenge lies in taking appropriate steps to reduce the impact by proactively responding to threats with efficient detection techniques. Hence, Cyber Defense Centers have emerged as a viable solution for ensuring security, since they consist of a team of cybersecurity experts and trained engineers. CDCs dedicate themselves entirely to manage high-quality IT security operations and run a network surveillance every day along with predictive analysis, irrespective of whether there is an unusual event or not. The year 2020 will witness enterprises establishing strong cyber defense mechanism by adapting to latest technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and behavior analytics.
3) Privacy by Design Approach
Privacy shouldn't be treated as an added feature once the product or service has been built and marketed. It must be encompassed in the entire design. In 2020, more businesses will adopt the Privacy by Design approach while creating new technologies and systems. Privacy will be incorporated into tech and systems, by default, which means products or services will be designed with privacy as a priority, along with whatever other purpose the system serves.
4) Growth of 5G to elevate threats of cyber attacks
With impressive infrastructure deployments already in progression, 5G is prepared to grow in major markets such as India. The 5G standard will offer a multitude of benefits, such as enhanced speed and performance, lower latency, and better efficiency. But it will also come with risks. Increased number of internet-connected devices and an elevated use of virtualization and the cloud will enable hackers to target more devices and launch bigger cyber-attacks. According to industry experts, the weak link in 5G's security is likely to be communication between devices connected to the internet. As per Gartner, the number of internet-connected devices will grow from 14.2 billion to 25 billion by 2021. Hence, the year 2020 will see governments, telecoms companies and technology groups coming together to work on establishing security standards for 5G and the Internet of Things.
5) Businesses to get matured in data and privacy protection
Due to regulatory implications following the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the upcoming Indian cybersecurity policy, there will be a greater awareness on the need for data privacy and cyber security amidst organisations and individuals. This trend will continue in 2020 and beyond. This will establish the culture of security and invoke businesses to adopt proactive approach to data privacy and cyber security rather than a reactive one.
The author is senior vice president and head center of excellence (CoE), Clover Infotech. Views are personal.
