Infographic – Security Trends to Track This Year
Hacks on eBay, Target, Home Depot, Feedly and Sony compromised the information of over 300 million people in 2014, all through different avenues. 2015 shows no sign of slowing down with the recent Anthem security breach that compromised the information of up to 80,000,000 customers. Untangle CEO Bob Walters breaks down the security trends IT should be monitoring this year in the wake of these attacks.
- It’s the data, not the device: News of high-profile hacking incidents at companies like Sony Pictures, Home Depot and Target, compromised government databases, and the everyday theft of personal data that doesn’t make headlines will keep people on edge in 2015 and beyond. It’s important to remember that the device isn’t the ultimate target – it’s the data they contain. As the infographic shows, analysts project that there will be eight million threats against the Android platform alone in 2015. Mobile is just another endpoint that attackers will use to gain access to data.
- Internet of Things is open for exploit: Speaking of endpoints, with a projected 41 billion devices connecting to the Internet of Things by 2020, the hunting ground for attackers will continue to become more target rich every year. Corporate networks will remain a favorite target in 2015, and cybercriminals will exploit the profusion of connected devices, moving past proof-of-concept attacks to target overlooked virtual entryways to company data. The good news is that with so many different types of devices coming online, it will be impossible for any one hacking strategy to defeat security across all endpoints.
- Security is serious business: In the coming years, consumers and companies alike will have to get serious about security because hacking is now a full-fledged enterprise. The old stereotype of hackers as lone wolves is outdated – today, hacking rings use social media collaboration platforms to organize campaigns and execute tasks with precision. And this more sophisticated breed of hackers isn’t in it for kicks; they are putting together portfolios of information to sell to the highest bidder. That means they’ll use compromised entryways to dig deeper, assembling a dossier that can enable major exploitation of personal identities.
- Old is new again: Developers tend to be more security conscious these days – they have to be, given the risks. But hackers will continue to identify new ways to exploit recent releases, and, as the Heartbleed bug illustrated last year, they’ll find fresh methods to compromise older source code. Also, expect financial service companies to increasingly become a target as mobile payment transactions grow, reaching $400 billion in 2015. When asked why he robbed banks, 1950s-era bank robber Willie Sutton supposedly said, “Because that’s where the money is.” In 2015, hackers will target financial services companies and banking apps for the same reason.
- Analytics hold the answer: Today, companies are facing a new threat, one that goes beyond random hacking incidents: Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs). A significant number of companies have already experienced an attack in which a hacker gains access to a network and remains there undetected for an extended period of time to steal data. Fortunately for the IT organizations charged with defending companies against APTs, analytics can provide a strategic edge, giving IT professionals unprecedented insight into network activities and enabling them to detect and defend against APTs.
Disclaimer: This article was written by a guest contributor in his/her personal capacity. The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial staff at CloudWedge.com.
