Intelligent Cybersecurity

The ever-evolving world of cybersecurity ? five trends to watch in 2020 that will drive a Secure by Design methodology

Trend one: SOAR rockets to the moon

Security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) will be the hottest area in cybersecurity in 2020, as this is how we’ll build trust across infrastructure and applications. Algorithms will help machines to recognize patterns across applications and infrastructure, identify anomalies that point to potential attacks, and orchestrate security controls automatically – and instantaneously – without human intervention.

How are you embedding intelligence into your infrastructure and applications?

Trend two: Security goes to the cloud

More applications and workloads are being created and hosted in cloud environments. If you’re using multiple hosting centers or hyperscalers, it’s difficult to apply standardized, software-based security controls across your entire infrastructure. By applying security to the application or workload, you’ll be able to monitor these for changes in behaviour that will identify potential attacks.

Are you testing your security posture across all infrastructure, whether on-premise or with a hyperscaler? 

Trend three: Hyperscaler patterns continue to be elusive

Because it’s so difficult to identify standard patterns across hyperscaler infrastructure, it’s critical to apply intelligence to the security controls we wrap around applications and workloads. To build a robust security posture, you need information, context, and intelligence. 

Have you considered partnering with a third party for the manage-and-operate piece of your security posture? This will give you the benefit of this intelligence and the advantage of being able to respond to breaches faster than if you were to go this alone.

Trend four: Applications are the new attack vector

Historically, attack vectors would attempt to move across the infrastructure to determine where data was stored, and what they could access. Now that infrastructure is more cloud-based and software-defined, we’re entering a world where the application is the easiest way to compromise data.

Are you evaluating the general security hygiene of your applications regularly and applying the necessary patches? In this new world, this exercise cannot be neglected. 

Trend five: Identity is being redefined

The rise of co-innovation among organizations means they’ll have to become more sophisticated in how they apply identity security. First, you need to identify and secure humans, machines, and applications. Look at their behavioural statistics to determine their risk profiles and access rights. Then, monitor their behaviour to identify any anomalies that indicate a security threat.

Bear in mind that the identity of digital twins will be just as important to recognize and monitor.

Read my full article on this topic here.