There is no doubt that 2020 has been one of the most challenging years in the last couple of decades. Even though there are only a few months to go, there have been significant changes in the field of cybersecurity.
Unfortunately, most of them revolve around bad news such as the fact that hackers are starting to use smarter and more bulletproof methods in their malicious acts. Here are the most important cybersecurity trends recorded in the first quarter of 2020.
#1 Ransomware Attacks Are More Targeted
Ransomware attacks are not a novelty in the world of cybersecurity. We’ve seen all sorts of ransomware threats come in different shapes and sizes. However, 2020 has brought to us more targeted attacks where hackers put more effort into researching the business or persona they are after. They will go to such extent to even get in contact with the target under a fake identity in order to obtain information crucial for their attack. By targeting threats on a larger scale, hackers are able to pull more money through ransomware scenarios by playing on emotional and psychological weaknesses of their victims.
#2 Phishing Has Gone Next Level
Phishing is another type of security scam that we’ve seen already but it has become a lot more sophisticated in the last couple of months. Hackers have taken phishing to the next level in 2020 and it doesn’t look like they are planning to let this trend drop. While email used to be the most common place to expect phishing messages, hackers have now expanded their reach to social media and third party sites. In other words, you never know where the hit could be coming from. The only thing that can save you from progressive phishing attacks is a good sense of intuition and awareness of potential red flags in links and messages.
#3 The Rise of Cyber Insurance
One of the more positive cybersecurity trends in 2020 is the rise of cyber insurance policies. Namely, insurance companies have detected a large demand for cyber policies where they protect businesses and individual clients from the financial toll of cybersecurity threats. Of course, cyber insurance plans come in all shapes and sizes, meaning the specific outcome of the policy would depend on the characteristics of the deal. However, this trend is going to leave a positive impact on the cybersecurity and insurance industry, as it generates a lot of profit and interests on all sides.
What’s To Come
Considering how unpredictable this year has been, there is no telling where the cybersecurity waves might take us. One thing that’s certain is that hackers are not planning to stop using our “good” technologies for their malicious reasons. Instead, they choose to keep exploiting AI, IoT, mobile platforms, and other resources to generate as much profit in a short period of time. With that in mind, cybersecurity should be considered one of the top priorities of any business with online assets.
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