Forcepoint has unveiled its 2018 Security Predictions Report, having security experts provide guidance on threats facing organisations in the months to come. These include local incidents such as one of Malaysia’s largest data breaches compromising personal details of 46.2 million mobile number accounts and global incidents like the breach of three billion Yahoo! email accounts.
Because of this, the Pricewaterhouse-Cooper (PwC) Malaysia’s Global Economic Crime Survey 2016 study showed that 42% of Malaysian organisations see an increased risk of cyber threats and 54% are still unsure of whether or not they are at risk.
Moreover, Forcepoint believes that traditional perimeters are becoming obsolete and the industry should focus on building bigger walls and better visibility. To understand how, when and why people interact with critical data is crucial since critical data continues to move to the cloud and malware is constantly evolving.
According to Brandon Tan, Principal Security Consultant, Southeast Asia, Forcepoint: “By placing cyber-behaviour and intent at the centre of security, the industry has a fighting chance of keeping up with the massive rate of change in the threat environment. Behaviour-centric risks are now behind a multitude of security incidents. People’s behaviour should not be set in opposition to security, since the two are not mutually exclusive. Users have the potential to unintentionally compromise their own systems in one minute and be the source of innovation in the next, but we can only empower users if we truly understand the ways they interact with critical business data.”
Based on the report, Forcepoint revealed eight predictions for 2018, which includes:
Privacy Fights Back
Users’ perception of privacy has changed in recent years, with a steady erosion of the line between what is ‘personal’ and what is ‘public. Forcepoint predicts that 2018 will ignite a broad and polarising privacy debate, not just within governments, but between ordinary people too.
Data Aggregators: A Goldmine Waiting to be Tapped
Attackers will usually seek a path that has least resistance. If they can find a weak link in the system which already contains a wealth of personal data, they will exploit it. Forcepoint believes that a data aggregator will be breached in 2018 using a known attack method.
The Rise of Cryptocurrency Hacks
As cryptocurrencies grow in importance, Forcepoint predicts that the systems surrounding such currencies will have increased risks of being attacked. It has also been expected that the attackers will target vulnerabilities in systems which implement blockchain technology.
Disruption of Things: It’s Going to Happen
The wide scale adoption of IoT devices in consumer and business environments has made them an attractive target for cybercriminals. It has been predicted that a new threat will emerge in 2018, which will be the disruption of things.
As the IoT offers access to both disruptive possibilities and massive amounts of critical data, it has been expected that there will be more attacks in this area. There might even be an integration of a man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack. Therefore, Forcepoint believes that IoT will not be held for ransom, but will instead become a target for mass disruption.
