Cybersecurity Trends to Watch for in 2017

Everyone made their top predictions for what’s to come in 2017 in the security industry, and only a couple of months in, it has already been an eventful year.

With cybersecurity protection becoming a top line item for enterprises, it is critical to stay on top of the biggest trends emerging. Below are several trends that have been hot topics so far in the beginning of 2017 and deserve a close eye of attention as we navigate throughout the rest of the year.

1. Ransomware: Already early in the year, we have heard numerous stories of companies in all sectors being hit with ransomware attacks. This trend is expected to continue rising. Market estimates that the ransomware protection market is expected to grow from USD 8.16 Billion in 2016 to USD 17.36 Billion by 2021. Ransomware has gained popularity among many cybercriminals since they know most organizations would rather pay the ransom fee to get their data back rather than admit there had been a breach or stop operations while they are being exploited.
   
   
2. Mobile security: Despite the popularity and norm of mobile devices and BYOD strategies accepted as standard in today’s enterprise model, there is still huge concern around security. A Ponemon Institute study found that 84% of respondents are very concerned about malware threats to their mobile applications. In fact, 60%, or six out of 10 of the respondents, say their organization had been breached as the result of an insecure mobile application over the past 12 months. Hackers are taking advantage of the way users rely on 24x7 access to their personal information via their mobile devices, such as accessing their bank accounts and credit cards, and using malware to that steal information and redirect users to malicious sites.
   
3. Security of Internet of Things devices: There is constant talk about the impact the Internet of Things and how the connected world can improve both our personal and professional lives, but these devices also bring a host of security issues, as these devices serve as an easy entry point for cybercriminals to enter our networks. Gartner predicts that by 2020, addressing compromises in IoT security will have increased security costs to 20% of annual security budgets, from less than 1% in 2015. We have already seen the major impact attacks can have on IoT devices with the Dyn attack. This trend will continue as the number of connected devices we are using increases.
   
   
4. Challenges in the cybersecurity workforce: Just a few months in to 2017, and there are many conversations swirling around the trend of a global shortage of cybersecurity professionals. According to a report from ISACA, 55% of organizations reported that it takes at least three months to fill open cybersecurity positions, while 32% said they take six months or more. There seems to be a disconnect between what employers are looking for and what skills candidates are bringing in terms of in terms of cybersecurity skills. With new technologies impacting the way we approach security, this will be an interesting trend we continue to monitor.