The expansion of cybersecurity, in both its good and bad forms, is inevitable. People are putting more and more of their lives, be it on social media or the cloud, and cybersecurity plays an important role in ensuring that people’s privacy is protected, no matter what website they use. To understand the important role cybersecurity plays online, we first need to understand the different kinds of cyber threats:
Malware is malicious software viruses, disguised as legitimate software, that use ransomware or Spyware to block network access or obtain private information.
Another common form of cyberattacks is phishing, where a hacker pretends to be someone else, usually a person of trust, to lure them into providing access to their personal information.
Password hacking means that hackers have full access to your accounts, especially if you use the same password for various accounts.
There are so many forms of cyberattacks; we’d have to dedicate many posts to covering them all! But today we’re focusing on the future of cybersecurity and what we can expect from upcoming years. You might be thinking well, cybersecurity will just continue advancing, right?! And while yes, that’s what we anticipate, cyber threats will also grow, finding ways to hack the newer systems or coming up with more effective and believable phishing attacks.
On a very general level, we can prioritize the future safety of cybersecurity through investing in technology that can protect private data and taking the time to educate staff and stakeholders about the dangers of cyber threats, ensuring they’re taking the right precautions.
As we dive into the future of cybersecurity, we’ll explore upcoming trends, the new threats that could arise, and how to combat them.
The Future of Cybersecurity
Artificial intelligence is probably the biggest trend to look out for and we’re sure you know why. In early 2023, AI tools like ChatGPT took the world by storm, imitating human dialogue and responses in a never before seen way. Artificial intelligence isn’t limited to just chatbots, however; it can automate tasks, study data, and make decisions for humans in just a few moments.
As it evolves and improves, however, cybersecurity professionals think that AI will be able to detect potential threats and flag problems faster than humans can realize, greatly helping overall security measures.
Another promising aspect of artificial intelligence is its developing ability to learn from past experiences, processing successful cyberattacks and taking measures to prevent them from happening again. We would be amiss, however, to not discuss the challenges and risks that come from artificial intelligence advancements in cybersecurity:
Cost: artificial intelligence cybersecurity technology is quite new and while many big companies have the resources to develop AI technologies, the vast majority of smaller companies can’t dedicate the same amount of money. The increased use of artificial intelligence in cybersecurity will be gradual.
Advances on the criminal side as well: spoiler alert! Criminals can use artificial intelligence too! The rise of chatbots that are able to mimic the human voice means that more believable phishing attacks will enter the game.
Mistakes: artificial intelligence isn’t perfect and some cyberattacks, especially new ones, will slip by. It’s important to not rely too heavily on artificial intelligence and ensure that new technologies are closely monitored.
Advances in machine learning will also bring about similar concerns: how will we be able to distinguish between humans and machines? In addition to worries about data protection and cyberthreats, tools like ChatGPT and Google’s Bard have also been proven to provide misinformation every once in a while. Will we reach a place where we don’t trust anything online? As more and more information gets put online, we’ll have to both protect existing data and ensure the veracity and integrity of online information is maintained.
Another up and coming theme will be the idea of having and being able to access universal data and information almost instantly. Thanks to developments in the cloud, for example, companies can store large amounts of data through customizable plans that permit them to choose exactly what works for them. While this sure is convenient and sectors like health care will benefit from the ability to share patient data amongst different professionals and reference past cases for better diagnosis, it also poses quite the security threat.
Companies are constantly collecting data from users, such as their identifying information, preferences, account information, banking details, and much more. It’s so common these days that most people don’t even realize it, but the amount of information on the cloud is growing exponentially; a potential security breach or data leak could have catastrophic consequences.
To keep up with the need to collect, use, and protect so much information, many companies outsource their IT department and security teams to third-party organizations. Sharing data with another company is a security risk in and of itself and until all companies are truly prepared to handle such large quantities of data, the risk of data breaches will only increase.
A Future Career in Cybersecurity
As a relatively new field, cybersecurity has been on the rise and will continue to be so. Companies are constantly looking for professionals that know how to predict, handle, and solve cyberthreats, meaning that a career in cybersecurity is a great choice. Here’s what we know:
Named the only future-proofed career by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, cybersecurity jobs will continue to grow exponentially over the next few years.
Due to the online nature of the role, cybersecurity professionals can work remotely and usually have flexible schedules, making it an attractive option for many.
They’re in high demand and in tech: the perfect combination! You can expect high entry-level salaries with lots of room for advancement and growth.
According to Garner, companies will spend 11% more in 2023 than they did in 2022 to improve security and risk management.
Convinced that cybersecurity is the right path for you? We’re not surprised! With so much growth ahead, studying cybersecurity now will kickstart your tech career and propel you into the workforce. We can’t wait to see you in class!
