What will be the main threat in 2022?

The year 2021 has seen a significant increase in ransomware attacks in sectors such as government, business and banking, which has served as a wake up call to organizations worldwide.?

In recent months, large companies and public institutions have suffered cyberattacks that have revealed the vulnerability of their operating and data protection systems. Without going any further, the Estrella Damm brewery was forced to partially stop production at its factory in El Prat de Llobregat after being the victim of a computer attack. The same thing happened in some MediaMarkt establishments in Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, where the servers were affected by a ransomware attack. Will they continue in 2022??

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Ransomware attacks?

In 2022, ransomware attacks will unfortunately be on the rise. As organizations have digitized their business processes, their perimeter has become highly porous and more exposed to vulnerabilities. Therefore, cybersecurity will become one of the priorities of companies after it becomes clear that all sectors can be a target.

The first cyberattacks that were carried out, in the 1990s, did not have an economic motivation behind them. It was a matter of ego, of having the power to get data that no one else could know other than the company itself. Nowadays, there are organized groups that are dedicated exclusively to cybercrime. The only thing they are looking for is to make an economic profit, and they usually do it through data kidnapping, and then ask for a ransom. That is what is known as ransomware.?

Also one of the favorite ways that cybercriminals prefer for ransomware ransom payment is Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. In that regard, in the first few months of 2021 alone, through May 10, ransomware groups raised $81 million in cryptocurrency. They do this because they make it difficult to track the money and thus it is more difficult for the competent authorities to stop them.

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Prospects for 2022

One of the predictions for what will happen in 2022 is that small and medium-sized businesses will become a very profitable financial target for ransomware groups. The reason is that they do not have to make much effort to become a target, as they do not have adequate security measures in place.

This malware has malicious intent and executes the attacks through emails or text messages where they send links or infected attachments that will allow them to have access to all the information. It will then spread to other devices through Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and email.

After this happens, they keep her kidnapped until the victim pays for her safe return. These attacks are becoming more and more complicated to control because users are not aware of the risk involved, which is why communication in companies must be improved in addition to greater cybersecurity. Moreover, companies must improve their cybersecurity.

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What is the Solution??

Teleworking brought with it a greater use of the cloud for important company information, but there are still several vulnerability problems due to not knowing how to properly protect said data. Data Warden mentioned that there are issues with misconfigured storage and with easy access to backups, which are the issues.

According to the report of Data Warren, it was revealed that of the 5,400 companies surveyed worldwide, 37% were victims of a cyberattack, and 54% have suffered information theft due to not having high levels of cybersecurity.? They also reported that local government entities are the most likely to suffer cyberattacks because they have access to public funds, and they also have a poor security strategy in place.

The solution is to educate staff on how to handle emails and files coming from unknown sources. A single click from a computer or cell phone can cause significant financial damage to a company, and in the worst case, it can result in the total closure of operations.

On the positive side, governments are moving in the right direction, and most entities will benefit from accelerated programs to implement, enforce, or review cybersecurity best practices by 2022. I believe that this will be a positive development for the cybersecurity landscape. Finally, businesses are also looking forward to adopting cybersecurity solutions in the near future. These solutions would include tailored cybersecurity and implement network segmentation for even greater security.

How important is building secure software today??

Considering the recent surge in successful cyberattacks taking advantage of software vulnerabilities, it's become essential for organizations to develop secure code within software development best practices.

As the threat landscape and attack methods have continued to evolve, so too have the processes, techniques and tools to develop secure software.

Organizations looking to offer secure software must lay the foundation for success by effectively preparing their people, processes, and technology for this challenge.

The first technology-related action step in a secure software development policy is to create the rules that govern programming languages and coding. Coding languages can contain numerous vulnerabilities, so developers need to be well-informed about hardening strategies that minimize attack paths

The key is to take many different approaches. Start by understanding what is happening in the industry and what the risks are. Next, train your engineering team on common threats and vulnerabilities, the processes to follow, and the tools to run. Finally, use checklists to make sure your policies and procedures are up to date and monitor them monthly. It's not just one approach that will keep your software secure, you'll need them all.

Proper preparation takes the form of a well-constructed secure software development policy, which every organization committed to building secure software needs.