Top 20 Cybersecurity Trends to Watch in 2024

Cybersecurity trends are increasing day by day, fueled by responses to rising cyber threats, evolving long-term security goals, and innovative new technologies. These cybersecurity trends are driving organizations to adopt zero trust principles, least privilege access, and continuous verifications more frequently.

Therefore, in this article, a brief knowledge has been provided about the top 20 Cybersecurity trends in 2024. These trends and changes will surely contribute to the cyberattacks that the companies face and the multiple different solutions that the companies adopt to manage them.

Cybersecurity is defined as the practice of protecting systems, networks, and multiple programs from digital attacks. Cybersecurity is used to safeguard individuals and organizations against cyber-attacks and theft or loss of sensitive and confidential information. These types of cyberattacks are aimed at accessing, destroying, or changing sensitive information and extorting money from users.

Cybersecurity trends are inspired by the mixtures of responses that lead to cyber threats, long-term security goals, and new technologies. Therefore, in this article, detailed knowledge has been provided about the Cybersecurity trends, and the Top 20 Cybersecurity trends are mentioned below.

1. Remote Working Cybersecurity Risks

The shift to remote work due to the Covid-19 pandemic has introduced significant cybersecurity risks. Many employees will continue working remotely post-pandemic, posing new challenges. Home offices lack the robust security of centralized offices, such as secure firewalls and access management by IT security teams. Rapid transitions may have led to less rigorous security vetting, with cybercriminals exploiting these vulnerabilities.

Personal devices are often used for two-factor authentication and instant messaging apps like Microsoft Teams and Zoom, blurring the line between personal and professional use. This increases the risk of sensitive information being compromised. Addressing the security challenges of remote work is a critical cybersecurity trend. Organizations must identify and mitigate new vulnerabilities, improve systems, implement security controls, and ensure proper monitoring and documentation. For more information, read our detailed guide to working from home safely.

2. IoT with 5G network

With the continuous increase in 5G networks inter-connectivity became a reality with the Internet of Things(IOT). This type of communication between the different devices also opens them to the vulnerabilities from the outside attacks or any unknown software bug. Each step of 5G networks brings a network attack.

3. The Rise of Ransomware

Ransomware, a growing threat, now includes over 120 distinct families. The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated digitization and remote work, creating new targets. As a result, both the number of attacks and ransom demands have increased.Ransomware attacks involve stealing and encrypting data, then demanding a ransom to avoid data release. This threat has severe consequences, including financial burdens and potential data breaches.

In 2020, ransomware was linked to the first reported cyber-attack-related death when a German hospital’s systems were locked, preventing patient treatment.Attackers use sophisticated phishing techniques and demand payment in untraceable cryptocurrencies. Expect more ransomware attacks on organizations lacking strong cybersecurity.

4. Cloud is potentially vulnerable

Nowadays more and more businesses and organizations are developed on the clouds, therefore the security measures needs to be monitored and regularly updated to keep the data safe and private. The cloud applications such as Google , Microsoft are the top cloud applications which are well equipped and secure from their end. It’s the user end which acts as a main source for the multiple errors and phishing attacks.

5. Social Engineering attacks

Social engineering attacks like phishing have become more prevalent with the rise of remote work. Attackers target individuals connecting to their employer’s network from home. In addition to traditional phishing, there has been an increase in whaling attacks targeting executives.SMS phishing (smishing) is also on the rise due to the popularity of messaging apps like WhatsApp, Slack, and Signal. Attackers use these platforms to trick users into downloading malware.

Voice phishing (vishing) gained attention in a 2020 Twitter hack where hackers posed as IT staff to gain access. Vishing targets many companies, including financial institutions. SIM jacking involves fraudsters convincing mobile operators to transfer a victim’s phone number to a new SIM card, giving them access to the phone’s digital contents.

6. Mobile is being targeted by the hackers

Cybersecurity trends provided an increase in mobile banking malware or attacks in 2021 making mobile phones targeted by hackers. All the videos, photos, emails, messages, and mobile transactions lead to more threats to people. The malware or smartphone viruses can also capture the attention of the cybersecurity trend in 2024.

7. Potential of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence has brought multiple changes in the field of cybersecurity by building automated security systems, face detection , automatic threat detection and natural level processing. Therefore Artificial Intelligence has enabled threat detection systems which can predict the new attacks which notify the admins of any of the data breach.

8. Data breaches

Data is one of the major concerns for businesses all around the world in order to safeguard digital data. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was enforced from May 25th 2018 which offers privacy and data protection for the people in the European Union (EU). In the system browser any bug is a major potential vulnerability for the hackers to access the personal information.

9. Integration and automation

Each data size is doubled day by day. It is important that the automation should be integrated to give more sophisticated control over the information. The modern work also pressurize the developers to deliver the quick solutions making the automation more valuable than ever. Complex web apps are difficult to safeguard because automation as well as cyber security is the main concept of the process of software development.

10. State sponsored Cyber warfare

Between the western and the eastern powers there is no stoppage in the attempts of finding the superiority. The tension between the Iran or US or Chinese hackers mainly develops the worldwide news through the hacker attacks are few therefore these things have a major impact on the events such as the elections.

11. Insider threats

One of the major reasons for the data breach is human error. Any intentional loophole can surely bring down the business or organization with the millions of stolen data. The Verizon data breach provides a strategic insight on the cybersecurity trends that 34 percent of the whole attacks were indirectly or directly made by the people.

12. Increase in the Automotive Hacking

Nowadays modern vehicles are coming in packed with automated software which creates seamless connectivity for the drivers of the vehicles in the cruise control, door bags, and advanced systems for driver assistance. These types of vehicles needed wifi and Bluetooth technologies so that they could communicate which initially caused multiple vulnerabilities or threats from the hackers. Therefore, due to the latest technologies, there is an increase in automotive hacking.

13. Multi Factor authentication

Multi-Factor authentication is a type of security measure which needs users to provide more than one form of authentication before anyone can access the account. Therefore this type of extra layer of security helps in the protection against the cyberattacks as to access the accounts these attackers need to access multiple layers of information.

14. Real time data monitoring

It is another most important security measure which helps the organisation to detect and respond to the suspicious activities which are happening. Real time data monitoring ensures that the site should consist of adequate measures in place to monitor all the data activity.

15. Automotive hacking

Nowadays cars are more connected to the internet which is becoming more dangerous to cyberattacks. The businesses and organisations should make sure that there should be enough security measures to protect the connected vehicles such as real time monitoring, encryption and authentication.

16. Identity and access management

Identify and access management is a type of security measure which is used to help the businesses to control and monitor who has access to the sensitive networks and data. Therefore the business should ensure adequate Identify and access management measures such as authentications, access control lists and so on.

17. Improve in security for IoT devices

More and more devices are being connected therefore the Internet of things are becoming more and more popular therefore more improved security is needed for these types of devices. Organisations should make sure that the security of these IoT devices are up to date.

18. Artificial Intelligence Potential

Artificial Intelligence has the true potential and ability to revolutionise the security landscape which helps in detecting and responding to the cyberattacks in the real time. The organisation must make sure that they should have enough security measures to protect against any AI threats.

19. Hybrid mess firewall

Hybrid mess firewalls are increasing rapidly in the organisations which combine the multiple types of firewalls into the integrated centrally managed security architecture which further enables the organisations to deploy the firewall solutions to make sense for the specific environment.

20. The Emergence of Quantum Computing and Its Implications for Cybersecurity

In 2024, the rapidly evolving field of quantum computing is transforming our approach to data processing and problem-solving. Unlike classical computers that use bits represented by 0s and 1s, quantum computers use qubits, which can exist in multiple states simultaneously due to quantum superposition. This capability enables quantum computers to handle massive amounts of data at exceptional speeds, addressing complex problems far quicker than traditional computers.

The advent of quantum computing brings both opportunities and challenges for cybersecurity. Its enormous processing power has the potential to bolster cybersecurity measures significantly. Quantum computing can enhance encryption techniques, develop more advanced algorithms for detecting cyber threats, and efficiently handle large-scale secure data operations.

With the increase in businesses, organisations, corporates and other companies everything depended on the Internet and new technologies such as devices and due to this there are a lot of cybersecurity threats which are happening. Organizations should make sure that the security measures which are taken and followed are good so that they can reduce and lower the rate of cyber security threats and attacks. Therefore in this article all the cyber security trends to watch in 2024 have been mentioned.

1. What is Cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity refers to the practice of protecting a business or organisation and its employees and the threats which are happening in Cybersecurity by performing multiple techniques and measures.

2. How Cybersecurity works?

Cybersecurity actually works by implementing the preventive measures such as by the software updates and the firewalls to detect and block that type of malicious activity.

3. What is the future of Cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity will increase in the coming years due to which machine learning has the potential to detect the threats which are happening in the organisation and the business.