The storm that the cyber industry experienced in 2021, with record-breaking ransomware attacks, is something that no one could ever imagine. Forecasts for the year ahead seemed impudent, so let’s explore the top growing trends for 2022 as explained by specialists in the industry.
Government interest and influence on cyber security
Experts explain that incidents from SolarWinds, spyware and privacy issues have alarmed governments worldwide. Therefore, the year 2022 will be filled with new regulations and investments to cyber security companies. Urgent national security demands surged in the midst of huge cyberattacks on important infrastructure. It is forecasted that these imminent threats will take over the focus of governments in the year ahead.
Social Engineering risks
Cybercriminals take advantage of knowing full well how effective social engineering scams can be. Social engineering will continue to be a threat because it’s very difficult to impose security measures on certain tactics that these criminals use. There are no government compliances or even risk management actions to protect people from being duped.
Although social engineering scams are still a threat, plans have been put in place by companies to raise awareness in them to better protect people. In addition to training people, businesses should change their approach to internal communication. Creative storytelling content for user engagement is a great way to build trust amongst staff in the office. In terms of training, companies should break this up into small bite-size pieces like social media posts as this is more likely to have an impact.
Emerging threat of Ransomware
In comparison to 2019, there was three times the number of breaches in 2021, according to UK national cyber security centre. Experts foresee this increasing in 2022, due to the pandemic and increase of online activity in digital environments. Ransomware is where devices are infected and locks files away, with threats of corrupting or deleting them unless a ransom is paid.
Ransomware attacks have targeted people by deploying phishing attacks where they click a link and download a virus unknowingly. Furthermore, this has also targeted gas pipelines and Hospitals. This is concerning to cyber security due to the likelihood of these attacks increasing in 2022.
Manufacturing sector still vulnerable to attacks
Manufacturing companies are susceptible to cyber-attacks as they heavily rely on software packages that need dispatching. Additionally, the industry is for the most part unwilling to change its process and is currently operating with outdated systems. Unless the required security measures are in place and software is updated, the industry will remain vulnerable to attacks going forward.
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