Technology has become ubiquitous and it makes our lives easier, but it also has become a pathway for criminals to steal money through cyberattacks. Our friend Taylor Hersom, cybersecurity expert and CEO of Eden Data, wrote an article for CPO Magazine outlining the top four cybersecurity threats to watch out for in 2022. I’ll summarize the threats below, but you can follow the link to the full article.
The top four cybersecurity threats to watch out for in 2022 are:
- Zero-day Attacks – These are attacks that take advantage of defects in application or operating system code that the developers don’t know about or haven’t fixed yet. These attacks are very dangerous and there is not much an organization can do to defend against true zero-day attacks. However, when code patches are available, an organization is still vulnerable until those patches are applied, so it is extremely important to be up-to-date with all application and operating system updates. If you need extra incentive, consider the fact that when a code patch is published, it contains detailed information on the code defect that was fixed, so criminals have all the information they need to crack unpatched systems.
- SMishing Attacks – Now that Phishing emails are getting a lot of attention and staff are being trained in how to identify these types of attacks, cyber criminals are moving to text messaging, or SMS, to entrap new targets. In 2021 alone, there was a 161% increase in cyberattacks using text messaging. These attacks usually impersonate banks or other service providers, much like Phishing emails, so you should train your users to identify scams using text messaging as well as email.
- Cryptocurrency Theft – Even though cryptocurrency is in a bit of a down market right now, the original currencies are still quite valuable and they are a hot target for cyber criminals. In 2021, North Korea stole $400 million worth of cryptocurrency. If you do own cryptocurrency, the best practice would be to perform trades using a hot wallet (i.e. exposed to the internet), but to keep your assets in a cold wallet, which is not exposed to the internet.
- Nation-state inspired B2B Attacks – Data and Intellectual Property have become extremely valuable commodities and nation-states have been sponsoring attacks for years. This type of attack will only become more prevalent in 2022, with China and Russia representing the biggest threats to global businesses. Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) systems represent the best, most integrated solution for this type of attack.
Taking a practical approach to preventing cyberattack means making your organization cyber resilient while also preparing to deal with a breach if one does happen. Criminals are looking for easy pickings, so if you have a solid approach to cybersecurity it will go a log way to making sure you won’t be a victim.