Cyber security in 2023: Trends to watch out for in the new year

5G connections in India are expected to reach 88 million by 2025, according to a recent report by GSMA. While the spotlight is currently focused on delivering higher data speeds, latency improvements, and the overall functional redesign of mobile networks, the cloud will expose the 5G core to cloud security vulnerabilities, according to cyber security company Palo Alto networks. With only 114% of Indian organisations equipped with a plan to secure their 5G/4G environment, CISOs will need to be wary of large-scale attacks from any source, including the operator's own network.

Digitisation has enabled new healthcare capabilities such as virtual healthcare and remote diagnosis. But the prevalence of legacy and sensitive data will make healthcare an attractive target for cyber threat actors. Ensuring the cybersecurity of medical IoT will be important as ever for patient safety as the closer a patient is to a device, the greater the likelihood for weaponization by bad actors, according to Palo Alto.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is a critical security measure that can protect users even if their passwords are leaked — but MFA only helps when it’s enabled and enforced, according to software company Varonis. Without MFA, attackers have a more straightforward path to compromise an organisation. Criminal groups are known to grab usernames and passwords from data breach dumps on the dark web. They try out every credential to brute-force internet-facing systems and gain access.

Sharing links are helpful for collaboration but they are also a significant security risk. Easy sharing makes protecting sensitive data challenging, according to Varonis. When insiders or external attackers gain access to data they shouldn’t, information is immediately at risk from ransomware and theft.

With an estimated $54 billion spent on virtual goods every year, metaverse could open up a new playground for cybercriminals. The immersive nature of the metaverse will unlock new opportunities for businesses and consumers alike, as it will allow buyers and sellers to connect in a new way. Companies, and cyber attackers in tandem, will take advantage of mixed reality experiences to diversify their offerings and cater to the needs of consumers in the metaverse.

These attacks involve hackers targeting a company's suppliers or other partners in order to gain access to the company's systems. Globalisation has considerably increased the flow of commodities around the world, but because manufacturing and supply chains are becoming more interdependent, supply networks are now spread over greater distances and are more prone to disruption.

The advanced capabilities of consumer and enterprise IoT devices will be leveraged by hackers to mine cryptocurrencies, according to cybersecurity company Trellix.

From face recognition, natural language processing, and autonomous danger detection – since artificial intelligence and machine learning were introduced to all industry sectors, cybersecurity has undergone tremendous changes. But it also enables pulling up sophisticated spyware and attacks that bypass the majority of data security defences.