Data privacy, security and governance

1.- Multi-factor authentication will become ineffective. While we still strongly recommend implementing MFA solutions for all users, many organizations do not understand the limits of a second factor when a social engineering threat actor is sufficiently motivated. Fake sites used in real-time phishing proxy attacks saw attackers collect the common 6-digit MFA PIN and use it themselves to authenticate to the actual target website.

2.- More vulnerability and attacks on clouds. Whether by accident or troubleshooting, many cloud users struggle to properly configure access control, both at the user and network level. Several times in 2022, the F5 SOC has seen users create "temporary" service users and then assign them very broad permissions, either through built-in IAM policies or through online policies. These "temporary" users are often created for troubleshooting purposes or to get an application that depends on a specific user or role back up and running.

3.- Open source software libraries will become the primary target. Like the global economy we all live in, software is becoming increasingly interdependent. Many applications and services are built using open source libraries, yet few organizations can accurately detail each library in use. As defenders improve the "perimeter" of applications (i.e., web applications and public-facing APIs), threat actors will naturally look to other vectors. Increasingly, a preferred vector is the use of third-party code, libraries, and services within an application. Up to 78% of the code in hardware and software codebases is made up of open source libraries and is not developed in-house.

4.- Ransomware will expand on the geopolitical stage.It is no exaggeration to state that malware encryption is now at epidemic levels. But it's not just about "encrypting data for impact," as the MITRE ATT&CK framework refers to ransomware. Last year we found that, including varieties without encryption, malware was the leading cause of data breach for U.S. organizations in 2021. The attacker's approach is largely about exfiltrating (stealing) data. Once they get their hands on it, they have multiple ways they can monetize their efforts.

5.- Great year of SASE (Security Services). Get ready for a big buzz at SASE – Secure access service edge is a cybersecurity technology on the verge of a massive push. It all comes down to organizations looking for simplified solutions, tighter technology stacks, and an achievable alignment between network performance and security as data and users become more diverse, more widely distributed, and more vulnerable than ever before. Think of this as secure data that is closer than ever to the edge of the network with a minimal amount of distance to the end user.

Credits to FORBES and other Cybersecurity Consultants