The year 2023 has been marked by significant developments in artificial intelligence and growing concerns related to new security threats. At the same time, there has been greater awareness of the need for stricter regulation of the technology in the year ahead.
The security situation has also been in focus, with growing concerns about new methods of deceiving people, especially with the development of advanced fake videos and audio recordings. This has led to increased attention to the need to strengthen cybersecurity measures and countermeasures against such threats.
As we look ahead to 2024, several things are expected to affect digital security. Here, we have highlighted some of the trends and threats:
- Social engineering will become more sophisticated: Using information available online, such as social media and artificial intelligence, threat actors will develop more advanced phishing attacks. In addition, the constant improvement of AI technology will make it more difficult to recognize manipulated content. Specially designed for businesses and individuals, these will be harder to detect, so awareness raising and safety training will, therefore, play a major role in the fight against social engineering.
- Increased use of XDR platforms: While Endpoint Detection Response systems have traditionally dominated the security world, Extended Detection and Response systems will likely become even more popular in 2024. The advanced threat monitoring and detection platforms can collect and analyze data from large parts of the infrastructure, helping businesses implement relevant security measures. Machine learning and AI will play an essential role in these modern security solutions.
- New methods of cyber attacks and digital extortion: In the past, threat actors have typically rendered systems inaccessible and encrypted the data during such attacks. A new trend observed is that threat actors threaten to sell or publish the data publicly. For some companies, the fact that the data becomes public will be a more serious consequence than not getting it back. In addition, attackers continue to exploit undiscovered vulnerabilities, making it difficult to protect against them.
- IoT attacks are likely to increase: Telecommunication and remote working are still widespread which is likely to continue. With the widespread expansion of IoT devices, the focus on IoT security is expected to increase significantly. Such security requires, among other things, more robust authentication protocols and advanced encryption techniques.
- Greater focus on AI regulation: 2023 was rounded off with a European consensus on establishing the Artificial Intelligence Regulation (EU AI Act). This is expected to come into force by 2026. In the meantime, we are likely to see several international and national AI frameworks that will address this technology's security, privacy, and ethical aspects.
- A more holistic approach to security: Due to the complexity of cyber attacks, digital security is no longer a field reserved solely for the IT department. Security must, therefore, also be included in business strategies and generally in the interface between people, technology, and organizations. We will also see that the more holistic perspective will be reflected in security principles in the future.
- Warfare and electoral influence in the cyber domain: 2024 is likely to continue to be marked by geopolitical conflicts. In addition, several political elections will be held that will have an impact on the world agenda. It is expected that both state and non-state threat actors will attempt to influence the general public as well as decision-makers through digital attacks and social engineering.
In summary, the cybersecurity landscape is constantly evolving. This requires organizations to both anticipate and prepare for these upcoming trends, preferably before they have been manifested!
It is also important for you as an individual to keep track of how to protect yourself. In January, we will therefore have the theme "How to travel safely in the digital world?" and through articles and courses help you continue the journey safely into 2024!