FEATURE: CYBERSECURITY
While cloud computing and cloud storage
often offer better security than on-premises
solutions, organizations can’t assume that all
data stored in the cloud is safe. Hackers have
infiltrated cloud computing infrastructure
and stolen data on many occasions. For
example, the Capital One breach resulted in
106 million records being exposed.
will be connected to the web. A
Fortune Business report indicates that
the IoT market is likely to grow to
US$1.1 trillion by 2026.
Many of these devices lack sufficient
cybersecurity protection, mainly because
costs are too high for manufacturers to
REMOTE WORKERS OFTEN WORK
WITH MINIMAL SECURITY, MISSING OUT
ON THE LAYERED AND SOPHISTICATED
CYBERSECURITY DEFENCES THAT THE
CORPORATE OFFICE PROVIDES.
In 2020 and beyond, attacks on cloudbased
architectures will continue to rise.
Misconfiguration will be the main reason
for the majority of the incidents according
to the Sophos 2020 Threat Report. Another
report from Trend Micro predicts that code
injection attacks, either directly to the code
or through a third-party library, will be used
against cloud platforms.
• Mobile Malware – Mobile devices
such as smart phones and tablets are
now essential business tools. For many
users they are the primary way of both
communicating and doing business, and
the volume of personal and corporate data
stored on mobile devices increases daily.
In 2019, nearly 75% of people in the
UK used their mobile devices for online
banking. In March 2020, Juniper Research
predicted that digital banking in the US
would grow by 54% between now and
2024, as millennials and other younger
consumers abandon traditional banking for
digital and online banking.
As more critical and sensitive tasks are
performed on smartphones, it is only a
matter of time before mobile malware
emerges as one of the most prominent
cybersecurity concerns.
• IoT devices – It is estimated that by
2025 more than 75 billion IoT devices
build in security measures at the device
level. Cyberattacks targeting IoT devices
could cost the US, an early IoT adopter, a
staggering US$8.8 billion a year, according
to the Irdeto Global Connected Industries
cybersecurity survey.
The wide proliferation of IoT devices
will entice a large number of complex
cybersecurity threats. These can have
devastating effects with dire consequences
since many of the devices targeted will be
used in healthcare, industrial and critical
infrastructure systems.
• 5G – Operators and services providers
continue 5G deployments globally
with minimal or no impact from
COVID-19. The 5G network faces
security challenges brought by new
services, architectures and technologies,
as well as higher security and user
privacy protection requirements.
With a large number of devices, highconnection
speeds, low latency, large
quantities of data and information, new
services and architectures, comes an increase
in the network attack surface and increased
risk of an attack.
Attackers will have more potential entry
points to exploit as they try to enter the 5G
network to inflict damage: data extraction,
unauthorized configurations, unauthorized
data modifications and service disruptions to
name just a few.
The impact of 5G security will likely be
greater. Lateral or vertical movement of
hackers within and across networks is not
a new concept, but since 5G is centered on
connectivity, high speeds and massive data,
the potential consequences are magnified.
A successful attack could cause massive
damage and deal a crippling blow for
government, critical infrastructure, individual
businesses and individuals.
The list discussed is far from complete.
Several other serious security risks and
threats need to be considered, such as
insider threats, applications and data
security threats, misconfiguration and
denial of services. All the figures and
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